good writing day

I got a bit of a late start this morning. It was cold, and I didn't particularly want to get out of bed. Since I didn't have much of a choice in the matter, I got up, got everybody out of the house, and then brought my coffee back upstairs and curled up in bed to read for a while. It was going on 9:00 when I sat down to do my morning pages. I finished them faster than usual, and since I was on a roll I talked out the current plot that's giving me fits. In case I haven't mentioned it before, I really love the new version of Dragon NaturallySpeaking. I was able to untangle the plot while simultaneously leading Ryan on a wild goose chase with a laser pointer. The cold weather is making him froggy.

All total, I worked a little over two hours and got 3566 words. Almost half of that was on the story itself. I've been trying to come up with a working title other than the main character's first name. For the time being, it's "Collateral Casualties." I'm sure it will change three times before I find an agent. :-)

Errrrrgggghhhhh!!!!

Can't *bang* nail *bang* down *bang* this *bang* plot! Slimy little bugger!

So I have this young pregnant Army widow. I was sure the story was about how she works through her grief during her pregnancy to make a new life for herself and her children (she also has a toddler). I knew the doctor who tried to save her husband after he was wounded would figure heavily into the picture, but it turns out he has issues, too. He's a widower, you see, and never fully dealt with his loss. So the story is as much about the doctor as it is about the widow, and it keeps getting cooler, but it's so convoluted right now! I want to write one chapter after another, and it's so not working out that way. I broke out Holly's Plot Clinic this afternoon, but I didn't get to work as long as I would have liked. For some reason, my family wanted dinner. I think I'll be heading upstairs soon to take another run at it.

Are you wondering yet where this idea came from? I was in the grocery store one day--over a year ago--and as I was leaving, a rather cute guy left from the next aisle. Being as graceful as I am, I didn't see him and almost bounced off his shopping cart. My first thought was, "Glad I'm not pregnant!" and the scene where the widow does the same thing with the doctor popped into my head.

And they say that writing is an art, not a mental illness. Thank goodness for that!