Back to Writer Mode

I am now fully back in "writer" mode after peeling off my "author" veneer yesterday evening. The tea was a lot of fun, and there were even people there who came specifically to see me, which was very flattering. I'm afraid, though, that they may now be aware of just how insane I really am, since I had one of my patented helpless giggle fits in the middle of the keynote speech. Fortunately, the speech was funny, so everyone else was laughing. I just wasn't laughing at the speech. I was cracking up at a mental image inspired by something said during the speech that actually had absolutely nothing to do with the speech. Trying to explain the reason behind the giggle fit doesn't help because it is truly insane (let's just say it involves one of the last animals you'd expect to find a were version of, and just thinking about it now cracked me up again). At least the fact that it came during a funny speech make it not be an inappropriate helpless giggle fit. The worst in that category came when I was on the jury and I suddenly pictured the defense attorney in a scene from the musical Chicago. I think I sprained something fighting back that laughter.

Now, though, I really have to get to work on this book. I spent all last week procrastinating, but I think my subconscious was working on it. The opening scene of a book is tricky at the best of times, but this one is particularly challenging because of what I'm trying to do with it. There's a lot of stuff going on, and I'm trying to make it all flow together with the right timing. It's like mentally choreographing a massive production number in a musical, or maybe one of those long, complex tracking shots Joss Whedon is so fond of. But those are all visual, and I'm trying to get the same effect in text so that what readers picture is like one of those things. I even resorted to digging out DVDs to watch and see how I'd describe what they have on the screen.

But I think I might have it. I'm sure it will take lots of work to fine-tune it, but I at least know how it starts now. And it's a perfect writing day -- cool and rainy. It's definitely the kind of day that makes me very grateful that I work at home, since during rush hour this morning there was a massive storm. I will likely spend the day guzzling tea and writing, and then I don't have to cook because I have a ton of leftovers from stuff I've already cooked and from a restaurant meal this weekend.