Day: December 23, 2023

Writing this novel I am thinking about the last one in the series and how I wrote it in my last house–last office. Time–life–moves quickly and when I stop to think about it, I’ve done so much and had so many opportunities. It is luck, in part, but it is also a willingness to take chances and being prepared for the opportunities that are out there. Most of my life has been about seizing opportunities that are presented. Recently I heard about this ‘theory’ called the Red Car Theory. The idea is straightforward. Most of us don’t know how many red cars we see in one day. However, if we got $50 every time we spotted one we would definitely be more aware. In other words, if we take stock and have a stake in knowing this, we will become more aware. If we are prepared for opportunities then we will be able to capitalize on those when they arise.

Here are my facts: I have holes in my understanding and learning. I also have opportunities to further my degree NOW before I’m too old. I need to sit down with my partner and have a discussion about that and decide as a couple if this is a direction we are trying to pursue.

Some Thoughts:

1. Back to using a screen/window to have rain sounds on. It is a form of white noise that wipes out the rest of the world and also puts me in a mood to write. Perhaps I work best in the rain. Perhaps I work best in Seattle or New York or anywhere else. I’d like to have a moment in my life to figure that out. I’d like to be traveling and learning where I best fit in. It could be a fixer-upper a few hours from the city. Who knows?
2. The rain screen itself is ?. It makes me feel like I’m next to a window looking out on a sci-fi city. I love that feel. It makes me want to write about dangerous worlds. So… I’m gonna go do that right now.

This latest novel has proven to be a different approach to writing. I haven’t so much as written chapter by chapter as outlined each chapter and went over and over each one adding as I go. I don’t know how I feel about the approach, but it seems like what is needed for this story. Each pass brings more depth to character and a better understanding of story and place. Early in the writing there were characters who were wholly undefined, and now as I go through I find that I understand more of them and their motivations. That is moving me to rewrite portions and add in places, making it a deeper and better rounded out story. I didn’t do this at all with the last novel in the series and it shows. I have at least one character who feels more like an outline or a caricature or simply and archetype of what she could be. Given that she is also not the lead in this novel, I could save her POV for the last one in this particular series. What’s funny is I treated the first novel like a one-off, and now it is two and possibly 3-4. The more I write, the more I know about the characters and more I become attached to them as people. That is, I think, what is supposed to happen to writers when they take the time and energy to really sink into the craft.

Some Thoughts:

1. Health continues to deteriorate. Blood pressure to heart rate ratio is showing signs of hardening arteries and weakening heart muscles. I haven’t done any real exercise in a year and, until a month ago, I hadn’t even attempted a short jog. Like not even 20 ft. Well, I need to fall back into that action. No. If I want to get healthy I need to push myself back in. I’m going to try all avenues–including VR to keep myself engaged in getting right. Without effort I am lost.
2. Kids start coming back today. It was an amazing feeling to have the house to me and my partner. Definitely fun while it lasted.