The Characters Want Attention

Is it bad that while my students worked on their papers today I sketched out the second half of the book I'm working on? Every so often I walked around the room, checking over shoulders to make sure students were heading in the right direction, answering questions of students trying to juggle the three different aspects of this paper project, and just chatting with students about whatever was on their mind. They worked, I worked, and we all got quite a bit completed.

Having the book sketched out, actually seeing a plan in place for where I can go with the characters is exciting. I feel like the book is truly possible now. For awhile I let it sit, unsure of where to go with the the characters, the storyline. It was overwhelming to think about anything related to writing the book, so I acted like it really wasn't there. I turned my attention to other pieces, and I'm glad I did as I think creating some space between me and my 16 year old girl caught up in a military gaming plot was exactly what I needed. Coming back to it the last two days after some time off, with fresh eyes and a clearer mind has allowed me to pull fresh ideas out.

Or is it really that 16 year old girl pulling at me, insisting I let her have some more fun, perhaps even fall in love with the cute shaggy-haired boy she just met?

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