Ready to Move On

I only have about 90 more pages to proofread, and then I'm done with this book -- other than writing cover copy and checking the interior layout and other production-related stuff. I enjoy the story enough that I keep forgetting that I'm supposed to be proofreading and end up just reading, so I have to go back and proofread, but I'm still ready to be done so I can write something else.

I've started doing research reading for the next project, and ideas are starting to flow. I think I have a concept, but the trick will be that I'm taking a more serious situation and finding ways to do it in a wacky, humorous way. That means taking some of the concepts and leaving a lot of it out. I'm looking forward to doing a weekend retreat for research and brainstorming. I've got books, and I picked up a couple of relevant movies when I was at the library yesterday for the runoff election (I love it when my polling place is the library).

I've said it before, but the development phase is my favorite part of writing -- coming up with the plot and characters and imagining the world. At that point, the story only exists as potential. It's still perfect while it lives only in my brain. Putting it into words is the hard part. That's when it becomes real and is limited by my ability to capture all those thoughts and ideas in a way that they can be conveyed to others.

But for now, it's all play, and the idea is pure potential. It could be anything.

I may also take some time this weekend to go to my ballet school's recital. They're doing movie music this year, and I've watched some of the class rehearsals of the advanced students doing a ballet to music from Star Wars. It's interesting enough that it might be worth seeing the final product. I think I also have some of my choir kids and former choir kids in the baby beginning classes, where the cute is going to be more interesting than the actual dancing.