making maps

As I child I used to love books that had a map printed on the opening pages. I don’t write high fantasy and generally think my stories are easy to follow, but things are getting a bit more complicated in Book #4 and Jax needs to find a missing map in order to save his grandfather. He has to settle for a sketch of the map made by Professor L. Roy Jenkins and after describing it with words, I decided to draw the map myself. I tell kids that writing for me is 70% dreaming and that is basically what my weekend has looked like: lots of lolling about, which then leads to spurts of writing. My agent suggested I reactivate my Pinterest account so I also spent a bit of time gathering home decor ideas…Friday was my third time in the Hyde Park condo and each time I’m there, I see the place differently. Or I see myself living there in a different way. The inspection didn’t take too long and I should get the report tomorrow; the inspector said he didn’t find any major problems but there’s definitely work to be done. I looked up electricians in the neighborhood because some rooms have original wiring from the 1920s and I’d rather have it ripped out and replaced than have new wiring added externally. I don’t want a dishwasher but am keeping in mind as I design my “dream kitchen” that the next homeowner might want to add one. The dining room has wood paneling and I’ve decided that will be my long wished for black room; it makes sense then to have the cabinets in the adjacent kitchen be black as well. I turned in SO many documents last week and was very grateful for my mortgage broker’s assistance and endless lists; she anticipated what the underwriter would ask for and so I was ready when the requests came in (starting at 8am). Turns out a freelance writer isn’t the ideal candidate for a mortgage—at least it’s harder for us to prove steady income. So even though I earn more now than I ever did as a professor, I’m scrutinized more closely because I have multiple income streams instead of a single employer who pays me once a month. But we cleared that hurdle so now it’s just the appraisal left and negotiating repairs with the seller. This will be my fourth move in as many years and I really hope I can stay put for a while. On Friday I reached Hyde Park early and so decided to take a walk around the block. After just a couple of minutes, I heard someone call me by my full name and looked up to see my friend Ebony and her parents. They were returning from the lake and we walked and talked till it was time for the inspection to begin. That encounter felt magical to me and reminded me of how I felt when I first arrived in Brooklyn so many years ago…people would stop me to ask for directions, assuming I was a local and not a recent immigrant. Belonging is powerful. I wound up in Brooklyn because I saw a picture of young Black artists sitting on the stoop of a brownstone. I don’t have as clear an image of the life I want in Chicago but I’m letting myself dream…