Currently: In and Out of WIP Love

I’m just going to be honest with you: The fancy gold-leaf type here is about as exciting as this blog is going to get today. I can’t compete with gold lettering. I just can’t. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s catch up: 

You might remember my brief yet impassioned treatise on opening chapters, those works of the devil meant to whittle away the confidence of even the most self-assured writer. At the time, I was trying to write the first chapter of a new story.

(Trying really is an overly kind word for the thrashing about I was doing.)

So there I was, nearly dead from all the blood I lost while poking my brain out with my pen. And I realized I was missing key research that wouldn’t make writing the first chapter easier (because nothing can help that except maybe a tranquilizer dart) but would make all the chapters after that easier.

I paused that WIP to gather research-y books. While I was waiting, I jumped to another WIP. I quickly finished outlining it. And then one day I wrote the first line. This is strange for me. I never write a first line in a day. And don’t you start in about how a line shouldn’t take an entire day, never mind and entire week. I get enough of that from my brain.

But this one is just flowing. It’s like falling in love the day after a terrible breakup. I plan to keep going with it until it until it realizes it’s still in love with its ex.

I have been dying to read Jessica Love’s In Real Life since I first heard the words pen pals. See, my just-for-fun project is a pen pal story. I was craving a book like this, couldn’t find one, and decided to write it myself.

I don’t work on it often, so it’s barely written. Which is okay, because In Real Life will fill my craving for a good pen pal story. After years of seeing Jessica talk about it on her blog and of hearing about its path to publication, it’s finally in my grasp. I almost cracked it the other day, but I want to wait until I have a big chunk of time free so I can read it all at once.

My sister and I belly-laughed our way through the second season of Galavant this weekend. We would have watched the first season, too, but Hulu didn’t have it. Guys, this show is unexpectedly hilarious. Or maybe you do expect it because you’ve heard how it’s the Broadway version of Monty Python and The Princess Bride. It’s ridiculous and silly in a self-aware way. But it’s not guaranteed another season, which is the opposite of funny.

One of my main characters is mostly evil, so I’ve been listening to this song nonstop. To be honest, it felt much more vicious before I watched the video. So, you know, shut your eyes.

My grandmother, who passed away a little over a week ago. She’d been suffering from dementia, and I’m glad she’s not struggling anymore, but I still miss her.

We got a glimpse of spring last week, when the temperature finally rose above obscenely cold. I’m ready for spring’s mild temperatures. Actually, it’d be great if nature could just stick with spring and fall forever.

Celebratory macaroons go to Elodie Nowodazkij, whose Love in B Minor comes out today. I love this series, so I’m excited for more dancing and more swooning.

See also: hints of spring.

What’s new with you?