Good Morning

Okay, I was sicker'n a dog yesterday afternoon. I do NOT usually throw up, but apparently yesterday was the exception. Then I had the heaves. UGH. Stomach is still a little iffy. Anyway, I'm going to try to take it a little easy today, eat bland food, and not too much of that. But sick or not, I need to be writing.

I'm not sure whether or not this particular breakfast serial is working. I warmed to Sahara almost immediately. She's just off-beat enough, and capable of thinking on the fly. JoAnn is a colder, harder character. I think I like her, but we'll have to wait and see.

The full version of "Run" is going to be going on our new website. I'm thinking it will be on the "Contact" page under my name, or on a separate page you'll reach from a link there. I asked our web guru to do this so that folks who missed the first part can find it as a whole in one place rather than having to root through four or five months of e-mails. My plan is to make each story available in PDF when it's over.

A reminder to keep stopping by the official blog. We'll be having the Visiting Dignitaries there, and we've got some good ones coming up.

On a totally different note, I sometimes envy plotters.

Really.

There are two basic types of writers. (Oh there are variations, but they generally fall to one degree or another into one of the two main categories, so run with me here).

Plotters
and
Pantsters

Plotters plan everything out. They work out exactly what is going to happen and how they're going to get there. The characters pretty much do what they're told.

Pantsters get the characters, and the situation, and then let 'er rip. They have a general idea of where it's supposed to end up, but no idea how they'll get there. Every decision the characters make leads to the next thing they write. The characters run the show. Sometimes badly.

Pantsters generally sound a little bit insane when talking about their characters and their books.

I am a panster. And sometimes I really, really, wish I wasn't. Particularly when I'm on deadline and would love to see how it all marches neatly to the end. Or when I need to explain to someone (like say an editor) what's going to happen. OY.

But I've tried plotting it all out ahead, and it just doesn't WORK for me. Frustrating.

Oh well, sick or not, frustrated or not, I've GOT to get back at it.

Later.