Altered states

I'll be travelling for work next week. The day time will be taken up with law stuff, and some of the evening, too. But there will be a few hours, above and beyond that. Wee hours, perhaps.

Hours that are just for me.

No dishes, no kids, no last call to make, no pile of recycling I really should take out. Just a hotel room and the minimal temptations of cable.

So its back to Untold Stories, the novel I hoped I'd finish by Christmas. The one that's long enough (70,000 + words) to be a novel already. Except I'm not done with it.

I love this story. One character is an art historian. In my publication fantasies, the book is loaded with beautiful, glossy pictures, the same ones which fill her mind.

Here's my problem. I've been away from this thing for about 2 and a half months now, between pagan Saturnalia, finishing the play, raising two kids and earning an income. So I need to re-immerse and reacquaint. To reread.

But when I re-read, I edit. Editing is so very seductive. And its way less scary (and less work) than actually writing new material.

So, I think what I'll do is put a deadline on the re-reading process. First night away only. Might even force myself to skim in some areas. If I could come back with two new chapters, even rough ones, I'd be delirious. I need to write a dinner party stand-off and some connective tissue wherein two characters cement their relationship into a (holding) pattern.

I can do this.

Wish me luck.