Manuscripts, Tigers, and Plays. Oh my!

...Well, not the tigers. Unless you count my little tiger-like Scruff, and her ability to interrupt any moment (work, sleep, phone calls...) for attention.

I'm almost done with my wip, and my brain is most anxious. "Hurry, Hurry," I say. And then, "slow down." The tug-o-war between product and quality will work itself out, and I will have a completed manuscript soon.

Meanwhile, I have another presentation to do at Doe Bay Resort next Monday. This time I will speak/perform with my most excellent playwright group. I unearthed my ten-minute play from a couple of years ago, The Magicians Library. I look forward to the silly.

I find it interesting how I keep coming back to humor and comedy. I seek serious and find my way back to silly. My play and my wip make me laugh.

And, there's nothing wrong with that.

Finally!

What a week!

I came back from a super cool surprise birthday trip to Dillon Beach for my Dad, and I returned to a massive grading fest. All week I have been evaluating students' work and dreaming of evaluating my own.

My dreams have been nice though. I thought of a new story that ties nicely into a story I thought up years ago. I love the pairing I find between story ideas. Now, back to work on my wip; I need to get this done soon.

I love California with crashing waves below windswept bluffs. Perfect.

Chase them away or invite them in for tea?

I'm speaking of demons. The kind that have been tormenting me since as long as I can remember.

Fear Demons that lurk in the recesses of my mind. The ones that come forward to tap into my almost pleasant day with a reminder that something more sinister exists in the world.

Or, perhaps, it is my reality.

When I was little, I felt I had no choice. I would scream and run. I would curl up in a ball in my bed. I would read book after book to escape.

When I got older, I learned how to cope: Exercise, a healthy diet, baths, meditation, and an occasional piece of chocolate. Write something funny! Escape!

Now I'm thinking I shouldn't run anymore. I'll invite the demons in and offer them tea.

I wonder what they'll say?

Squeezing Words

My current wip was a screenplay in its last incarnation. The basic storyline was there, and I added the details. Now, I'm facing a challenge. I seem to be slowing down at 34,000 words. This appears to be a little short. A strange problem indeed since my last novel went well over the 64,000 words I ended with.

The whole issue of word count requires balance. Obviously, I want to work within the guidelines for the genre, but on the other hand, I don't want to add a bunch of stuff that doesn't add to the story. I want to create a world and believable characters. I want to have a rich landscape for my readers, but I don't want them wading through a muck of excess words not relevant to the story.

Perhaps this week thousands of words will fly from my fingertips.
Or, perhaps not.