Unexpectedly Brilliant

Sometimes, when you least expect it, the things you've been waiting for jump out at you.

I've been struggling with my third Kundigerin story. Part of that is due to lack of time, distractions, "life" getting in the way and just plain lack of enthusiasm. And yet I've been writing. And this is where the realization comes that this is what I was meant to do.

As I was riding home from the city on the train, I picked up a new book that I'd won at LibraryThing by an author I usually like and her main character reminded me of a character I've been tossing around in my head for the next book. When I knew I couldn't finish the next chapter before my stop, I put the book away and started drawing the character sketch I've been mulling. Then something amazing happened.

With my thoughts diverted away from the snags in my current story, things started to come together unexpectedly. The combination of reading the new book, looking ahead to the next one, and harking back to comments a friend of mind shared with me regarding Mist on the Meadow all jumbled together in one big lightning bolt.

So first, thank you Janet for telling me what you liked about Mist on the Meadow. It helped me to tie together this third in the trilogy to the elements that people (like you) liked in that story. Second, thank you to Jude Deveraux for writing a character similar to the one I've been envisioning for my next, which gave me the motivation to write down the thoughts I'd already been rolling around in my head (I always hate to start writing the next story before the one in progress is finished). And third, in a moment of unexpected brilliance, I had to pat myself on the back for pushing through with this story even when the going got tough. The setting I chose lends itself perfectly to provide those elements that the characters in Kundigerin 3 don't possess but need. And thank you to +Terry Odell for chatting with me about one of the secondary characters I wasn't sure was superfluous and who was in danger of being written "off stage." I defended his appearance, which led to the wheels turning for all of the subsequent flashes of brilliance. I'd joked with her about unintentional foreshadowing and she pointed out that sometimes our minds work even when we aren't paying attention. That is definitely the case in Kundigerin 3.

Sometimes thinking about the next story diverts you just enough to see what's missing in this one. I'm 2/3 the way there, and with fewer distractions and "life" events, I'm optimistic a good draft will be completed by the end of the month.

Woo Hoo!