BOTB2

6/22- I took the day off to write because sometimes, that's just what you gotta do.

With the exceptions of changes made as a result of peer editing, Rayvn's story arc is now complete (and the crowd goes wild!)

I thought I'd tackle Jaxin's story arc next. I have a feeling this one will be harder by challenging me to dig deeper in conveying complex emotion. The major breakthrough scene between Robin Williams and Matt Damon near the end of Good Will Hunting is my inspiration for Jaxin's arc in this book. It's not my fault.

Thinking of my writing buddy up the road who seems to have a hard time just sitting down and writing, here's a tip I find useful: sit down and write.

No, seriously. I realize this is the third time I've mentioned this, but I can't tell you enough how effective this is. Start by just writing thoughts, as fragmented as they may seem, like "He arrived at the edge of town just as the sun met the horizon. The wizard would have to wait until morning." You can even ask yourself questions, like "how long to get there?".

This is different from outlining in the sense that it's right in the body of your manuscript as a constant reminder of your core thoughts for the scene. They serve as a primer for the pump of creativity, especially when I've got bupkis. Mine are usually tidbits of dialogue or exposition that I feel capture the essence of the scene. In many cases I later blend those snippets into the actual story.

In Jaxin's case, I'll probably write a bit of that scene from Good Will Hunting just to help me stay in that mood and reach that goal of intense vulnerability.

So it's official: Colby and I are separated. However, in the wake of this heartbreaking catastrophe, I've rebounded with reduced fat original flavor. There's promise in this relationship; I may yet learn to love again. I'll keep you posted.