The Calm Before The Story… Grrrr…

So last night I think I went to bed before 9:00 p.m. which is mighty early for me. I mean, America’s Next Top Model hadn’t even come on yet. Before I turned the TV off and crawled between the sheets I was outlining the next Parched novel. I have a few titles written down like, Lured, Stolen Love and Forgotten Kiss, and then there’s Snatched. I’m thinking about ix-naying them all. But you have to get the cruddy stuff on paper because it leads to the best stuff.

Anyway. It’s  9:21 a.m. I woke up at 8:59a.m., well actually a little earlier because I made myself wake up to ditch this stupid dream I was having. The thing is, I don’t know what to do with myself! I’m between being anxious and ready to relax. Does that make sense? Well, it doesn’t to me. But this is “the calm” period–which isn’t calm at all!

Last night I called my mom. Since she has a house full of Halloween candy and I’m a sugar addict, I told her that I might drive out today. Also, I want to finish outlining the next Parched novel. I dropped an interesting twist at the end of chapter one that raises the stakes of the central conflict. I’ve made up my mind that this next story MUST be a two part book series to handle all the emotional fall-out from the first part. (Takes a moment to gaze out the window). Maybe not… I can just make it one very long book with two parts. I have plenty of time to write it.  And I don’t want to stop after part one and lose momentum. Although I might be emotionally drained by the end of Part 1. I don’t know yet.  We’ll see. I’ll keep you posted.

Truthfully, I would rather be having these thoughts somewhere else today. Like at the utopia in my head. There’s a gentle warm breeze, a beach only fifty feet away and only a few locals walking it. They have an accent. I’m in cutoff shorts and a bikini top. The ocean is crystal clear and smooth.  That’s one place. The other place I’d rather be has endless block of skyscrapers and a new scene around every corner. It’s exciting. I can get lost there. I’m in a short flirty DVF dress and Roman sandals. it’s 73 degrees. Sigh….

Anyway… It’s time to do something so that I can transition out of this funky calm and into the story. I wanted to do yoga but it’s power yoga and I hadn’t eaten in 12 years; I’m starving and physically week. So I have to eat and wait another hour to work out. I’m really not inspired to go out in this city–Carlsad. I don’t like it. I’m not the demographic, which is interesting because it does nothing for me. If I had the cash, I’d hop on a flight this afternoon and probably go to New Orleans for the weekend. It costs extra money that I don’t have to travel. Every time I do it, I’m out $1k minimum. I’m thinking it’s time to hang in DC for a week while I finish outlining Misty Black.  That’ll probably cost me $3k minimum. I’m discombobulated.  I want to go nowhere and everywhere at the same time. I want to write Misty Black and Parched and the third book of the LOVE  in the USA series. There’s going to be 4 books in that series. The final one will be set in… I don’t know where… Maybe Chicago or DC… It’ll feature Daisy and Belmont again. That’s what I’m thinking. And you can never trust any of my artistic decisions while I’m in the calm because I’m having too many of them at once. I can’t sit still. I want to drive out to LA, stay in a hotel and live for one day, or two. That’s a decision I can afford right now. But I don’t want to be around traffic. I hate traffic. I hate having to drive. I’m so done with it. I was considering moving back to LA next year but I hate traffic. I hate driving. Oh well.

Time to  get centered. I’ll eat first. This “calm” has my going in fifty different directions…

Peace.
Z