Finding the Core

Yesterday I re-read the start I've made on book 3 in the Fairy Tale series, and while there's still a lot I like about it, I don't quite feel like I've got it nailed down. I need to do some thinking. Since I'll be spending Friday and Saturday at a choristers guild workshop, I think I may go to a museum today. Immersing myself in other arts might help the subconscious. Plus, there are Degas works at the exhibit I think I'll go to, and all that ballet plays into the book.

Of course, that's if I manage to get out of my pajamas (but I deliberately didn't get dressed yet because once I put on the sweats, I know I won't want to put on "going out" clothes, but I didn't want to drink my tea and catch up on e-mail, etc., in my "going out" clothes). No matter what, I will have to go out and do something eventually because it's quarterly tax payment day (whee) and I need milk.

I think the problem with the book is that I haven't yet found the core of it. I have events happening and a villain in mind, but the villain I have in mind isn't yet clicking with the events for me. I like the scenes I've written, but they feel like scenes rather than a story so far.

I've had this problem with every book in this series, where I have to write a lot of the book before I figure out what it's about, and then I have to rewrite it. There's a dreamlike quality to the writing process that I haven't had in anything else I've written.

Incidentally, A Fairy Tale is eligible for a Hugo Award, if you're into that kind of thing and able to nominate. It feels weird to do even that much campaigning, so I'll stop now.

And I suppose that if I'm going to go out, I should start getting ready to do so. I'll be offline tomorrow because I have to make it across town ridiculously early (for me). Wouldn't you know, they're closing the freeway between me and the conference site this weekend for construction. I will be making use of my knowledge of surface streets.