Tuesday, December 30, 2008

the upside of being sick

yes there is an upside. i'm too tired to do anything so i read and i've read five books in as many days. this is what i love best! i think that's what i did when i was a child, more than anything else. always reading.

i didn't read anything earth-shatteringly good, but lots of fun stuff and books that are helpful for me. i know that my novel that is ALMOST perfect would BE perfect if i can just adjust the plot problems. reading these books has helped me rethink the novel and i am thinking that one chapter that comes in the middle of the book needs to be moved closer to the end. that one change (plus rewriting other things to catch the fallout) might be the thing that makes the book right.

now if only i had two more weeks of winter break, healthy and willing and able to spend time writing - that would be heaven!

Saturday, December 27, 2008

the haze of a flu

damn i'm sick. i haven't had a flu this bad in a long time - full on headache and body ache and cough and all that goes with it. so it puts me in this hazy dreamy state that would be GREAT for writing if only i had the energy to write.

last night, as i did not sleep, i created. if only i could have created on a computer instead of inside my head. i had been reading a biography of C.S. Lewis (creator of the Narnia stories) and i thought about writing a novel about a man who is all manly-man, a regular guy, but who at the privacy of his computer creates a fantasy world starring a little girl. i imagine scenes such as him playing pick-up basketball with friends, then getting an inspiration about his story and, in doing so, missing a crucial shot. but he can't tell the guys because he has told no one about this story. and there it sits. i would like to do something with it rather than have it be the result of a fever dream, and left to wither away....

outside of my head, LA is really cold (for LA - this would be wonderfully comfortable and welcome weather to our relatives in Chicago!). i love that trees are changing color and there are some streets we can drive that feel like New England (as i imagine it might be) with all these golden and red and orange trees and leaves all over the street. beautiful especially with the blue sky and crisp, cold sunlight.

we are driving some of these streets because we are teaching rylan to drive. except there is not much teaching involved. as is usual for him, he studied us and other people intently for the last six months. he got his permit a week ago, and we began letting him drive and he is very cautious but does very well. he's aware of things around him and he's confident without getting cocky. of course, this is on quiet streets. eventually he will have to get on busier streets and deal with traffic.

okay, so there is some hazy babbling! i should have music on and i don't even have the energy to do that! if i did have the energy i would play the new John Legend cd that ry gave me for christmas. maybe tomorrow.