Novel retreat progress. 22,482 words in, through the end of chapter 7, including some new scenes, woot! I stayed up a little too late last night, writing, and that threw off my sleep schedule, so then I slept in too late, gah. But it doesn’t really matter; I’ll probably be a little tired later today, but hopefully can swing back to normal. I do think it’s better for me.
Plan for the rest of the day — I’m going to take a walk now, clear my head a little, and then I have a candidate meet-and-greet at 2 p.m. with Cate Readling. We’ll be talking about local governance issues — infrastructure and building approval for her, high school for me. If you’d like to join us, please do!
Zoom invite: https://zoom.us/j/86453633472…
And then after that, I’m hoping to do another writing stint, get through chapter 8 today, maybe.
It’s an interesting point in the book, because we’re shifting from one point of view to introducing several others, and I’m thinking I may go back and just add in some little interludes earlier, with other points of view, to give the reader a little heads-up that this is coming. I did that in The Stars Change, and I think it adds depth, though it’s a little atypical for a novel. Atypical isn’t bad, though. And it’ll also help me get to know these other characters better.
Also at some point later (probably right after Zoom), swing by the house, water plants, check on kids and spouse, do a little yard work.
As much as I’d have done this writing retreat on a warm beach somewhere if I’d had the option, it’s also nice to be able to stop back daily and try to ensure that home is humming along in a reasonable fashion. If I’d wanted to just stay away for a week, Kevin would have coped, but it’s actually a fine break for me — I can’t think about the book 24-7, really.