Day: July 2, 2021

I know, I should be writing out the bloganovella. More of that to come tomorrow. I wanted to be meta today and talk about the craft of writing, pitfalls, and what I’ve learned about having multiple projects going at once. I think there are good and bad aspects of this, and I believe I’m expanding myself as a writer by trying things in this fashion.

So, I’m working on an NDA sourcebook, a bloganovella, and a sci-fi novel that feels more like a collection of short stories that are connected and swirl around a single point. All of these ideas are also in the same head as a growing fantasy series. In other words, I am doing a great many things at once. On the one side of the chart if one doesn’t pop that day I can turn to another and work on that. On the other I am not pushing myself as hard on any particular thing and forcing that level of creativity that comes when you go beyond what you think you know and what you think you can do. That aspect is extremely important to growth. I feel like my brain has shriveled over the years and lost that ability to hold so many ideas at once and juggle them and get them all out on paper.

No, this isn’t one of those: do it like this moments. I’m suggesting you try everything you can and figure out how much growth you can get from both ways of doing things until you find the balance that grows your mind in both how much you can do at once and how much you push yourself on each thing. I’m still seeking that growth balance.

The triangular Flatiron building is nearly 200 years old, and only 22 stories high, taking up more real estate space than it probably should in a city this expensive. It overlooks Madison square park, which is where I posted up, waiting for the hour of my appointment. New York City is awash with a mixture of old and new. The park is flanked by skyrakers belonging to one corporation or another and housing dozens of high-priced storefronts. One of these towers running along 5th avenue housed Executive Body Enhancements is flanked by clothing and lifestyle shops, offering a full block of personal transformation. Despite its remarkably small footprint, EBE also offers overnight and recovery suites in the upper level of the skyraker. I wouldn’t be able to get inside and get the layout until I signed in for my appointment in two hours, so I spent that time watching who went in and out, what kind of security came with them, and how much of their weaponry got inside.

Truth be told, I wasn’t sure what I was looking for. Ms. Johnson said to watch out for her kid, but wasn’t very forthcoming beyond that. She was clearly worried about his getting through the surgery. She was also worried about the people watching after him. That last bit made me more nervous than the first. It meant I needed to watch the docs and and the security. As I watched the scene I started to come up with a clearer picture of who these clients were, and that led me to a clearer picture of how to act when I went inside. Choi would be on his way shortly, so I stood up from my spot in the park and casually walked towards the building.