I like biting off more than I think that I can chew – and then chewing it.  Chomp.

I like when someone – in this case, my father – says something in a way that is so crystal clear that feeling lost turns into feeling like I have a foothold.

I like making the decision to use my small lunch break to write, instead of read, even if it’s only a few words.

I like how the Body (what used to be Gary, Indiana) is shaping up, and how our intrepid historian, Robin, is reacting.  Here’s a hint – what would an historian do in a place where long-term memory is outlawed?

I like that there’s less hopping from place to place in The Glass Crown, and yet there still doesn’t seem to be enough room for all of the words.

I like that my kids like talking to me over the phone when they’re getting ready for bed.  Not being the bed-time guy is rough.

I really, REALLY like my wife.

Happy 2-year anniversary, Nikki.  We made it.

The rewrite on the now-erroneously-titled “Motor City Mafia” piece is going really well.  I’m hoping that the romantic tension that I’m adding isn’t ridiculously clumsy, and will instead add some depth to Seth and Susan.  If I’m really lucky, they’ll be easier to relate to when all is said and done.

I’m quite pleased at how smoothly the notebook/journal conversations are going with the new subject matter.  Less forced by a great deal.  Also, the characters became crazy in a whole different way, and it’s a way that’ll let them push their way through the story, instead of me pushing them.  I’m looking forward to seeing how Sol will turn out with the new story focus, as well.  I think his personality will shift less, but he will react to Seth and Susan with a whole new intensity.

The S-names were accidental, but I’m totally sticking with them.  It’s a great quirk of the story.

Here’s a little teaser:

“Seth took another drink from his cup of coffee. Every bone in his body was chilled, like he was afraid, or about to jump out of a plane. In contrast, his mind was placid. His emotions were jostling him around; he’d never felt like this before. This entire conversation had been to distract Susan from her family drama, and his emotions had no call getting all riled up over the way her hair was brushing against her cheek. He was supposed to be safe for her. He would not add drama to her life.”

Somebody said that writing the second novel is harder than the first.

Oh, wait, it was Daniel J. Hogan.  And he said it here.

I definitely get where he’s coming from.  I have been far more attentive to The Glass Crown’s shortcomings, as I write them, than I was to those in The Remembrance.  I know that once I finish, there will be rewriting and editing galore to make the story flow coherently, and to fill in gaps and inconsistencies.

The Remembrance seemed to flow out of me, once I really got going.  I feel like I’m prying out the Glass Crown with a crowbar, word by word.  For The Remembrance, getting the stuff in my head onto paper was my primary focus.  For The Glass Crown, I want to get the stuff out of my head, and put it onto paper WELL.  That’s a whole different class of intimidating.