The window has flung open, and characters have arrived en mass. The downside to overcoming writer’s block is that all the ideas wandering around in my head leap out at once and want to play. They are so compelling. Each one offered to help with the story.
Yesterday, walking to the chicken house, I met a unicorn. I didn’t recognize it at first because its horn was missing. It went on to ‘tell’ me it had shed its horn when the trouble in the Enchanted Woods started in book two. It’s essential to hide one’s identity now and then. It offered to help rescue Angelina and Katie when they got into trouble. Notice it is when, not if. How well my characters know each other. Noting that it had kept its wings intact, it offered a few scenarios that would be good for the story. Then, the unicorn disappeared.
Sometimes this goes on all day. Various creatures pop into my head and out again. My imagination key has opened the lock, and the window has flung open for any fantasy critter to barge into my head. This can be very confusing! I’m sure you’ve experienced what a friend called the monkey in my brain. Putting that monkey back in its jungle is hard. Those little critters are so engaging and very hard to catch. But it must be done.
Now that the window has been flung open, I must take charge. This is not the time to play with every little critter and storyline that has rushed in. They all must go. There is a time and a place for all of them, but not necessarily in this story. This sounds like a call back for an audition; as I think about it, that is precisely what it is. Every one of them has auditioned for this book. I must stay focused on the story as I know it today, but it was fun to play with all those characters, even if it was just for a moment.
Things I am reading or watching to prepare for my next two books:
Jewels of Kidron by Susan Miner – https://satiamapublishing.com/product/jewels-of-kidron/ Why would I read my own book? You, dear reader, are going to expect to find continuity from one book to the next, and I must not disappoint. Even though they take place three years apart, there must be a flawless flow from one to another.
AI artwork – I was curious about how it works and what it could do in this context. I have since found out that in my grandson’s teenage group of friends, AI artwork is frowned upon since, in their opinions, it takes work away from live artists. I will be making the switch to photos, paying for most of them that I post.
