The house to myself

Will is better today, thank God.  So after his drum class, he and Don decided to race to the theater to see Iron Man.  I don’t know who was more excited. 

It’s nice having the house to myself.  I don’t feel lonely at all.  I guess it’s because I know this alone time isn’t a forever situation.  When the sun came out, the dogs started dancing at the door.  Wanting to go out and play, take advantage of the dawning Spring day.  We’ve had such bouts of weird weather, for such a long time.  It’s funny though, I had never really thought about it before, that the weather mattered to them as well.  But it does.  These two mutts we have are sunshine junkies.  So even they have abandoned the house to me.  I’ve opened the door a few times, in case they are tired of frolicking about, but they’ve showed no interest in returning.

Once Don and Will had headed out, I did the breakfast clean up, nice and leisurely, no rush.  The only thing waiting for me after that was my computer.  I put the waffle iron back away in the cupboard, cleared the table, wiped it, did the dishes.  Then I ate a piece of smoked cheddar cheese, made myself a cup of tea, cut myself off a hunk of chocolate and then disappeared into my writing room.

This re-write is not feeling like re-writes usually do.  It is much slower going.  More like the start of a new book.  I’m only a few pages in, but I’m still having to read back, re-work everything again and again.  A character who I hadn’t planned on including her POV, has insisted that I do.  This format that I am using is so different that anything I’ve ever done, and it’s difficult to know if it works or not.  If it still gets across what I want to?  Or if it is too removed?  And then, when I get on a roll, I find myself slipping back into a style that doesn’t work for this manuscript, but is what feels comfortable.  And so I have to rework it.  And then rework it again.  And then I wonder since the other is so easy, if maybe I’m not listening properly to what needs doing, and instead, trying to force it into a shape or idea I have instead of what it should be?

I don’t have any answers at this point.  I’m just showing up at the page, ready to work.  I don’t know whether this ultimately will work or not.  We’ll see.

I hope you all have a nice weekend.  I think I’m going to go outside for a while.  Take in a walk, the sunshine, breathe in the fresh air after being cloistered in my writing room for so long.  Stretch out the kinks.  Bye for now.

Posted by Meg Tilly on Saturday, May 03, 2008 in Chewing the Fat