Recess

After several days of rest, I put a few thoughts in order.

First, I’m not sure if I want to move forward with TiH. It’s at a good stopping point right now, and while there’s a lot more plot available, it has a satisfying ending. I’m going to let it cook for a little bit and decide.

Second, I’m going to read to understand, not to rebut.

I often talk about people who only listen to argue, and this something I’ve often criticized Stephen Breyer for. I know a lot of people who listen to me talk so they know when they can say something to make the conversation about them again. For too long I’ve read like that. I’ve read things to see how the other writer got a plot point across, how they handled an interaction, or displayed a scene. I’ve read nonfiction about lightning, politics, and geography. I have not read much for the joy of reading.

I’m reading for the joy of it for a little bit. I’ve got a few favorites I’m going to reread. I’m going to try to read some new stuff. None of this is intended to be useful, but it is intended for simple fun.

Now it will help, because hard-copy books focus the mind. When I have pages in my hand, I can’t alt-tab away and look at the news. The focus is useful, but the content will be for fun.

Third, but ultimately, I’m going to relax for a little while. I don’t do that well. It’s time to decompress, reset, and do some maintenance. Life is moving, and I’m going after it. But a ‘season’ of TiH is done and out for editing. At the very least, I learned something about writing.

I learned I don’t like solo main characters. I like a bunch of the little buggers all pinballing off each other.

I do like keeping a setting for a few scenes. I want to introduce a room, a statue, a field of battle, or the places between stars, and be able to go back to that locale for another scene. I want to dive into the people doing the stuff, and if I reuse a room, the characters can start interacting again with less description.

I like magic. I like really, really complicated magic.

Thank you all who stuck with me. Something is coming. I will let you know shortly.