You would think that I would get a lot of stuff done during a stay at home order. True, I am still working, but my commute usually consists of walking down the stairs. I am still doing field service calls, but they are few as most people aren’t using their copiers right now.
So why has it taken me so long to post another blog? That’s a good question. The short answer is found in my priorities.
I’ve been spending a lot of time with my family, playing games, watching movies, enjoying time together. We even videoed one of our activities and posted it on my YouTube channel (The Wandering Pen).
I also spent time calling families of the kids that I normally teach in children’s church on Sundays. As an introvert who hates to talk on the phone, I can’t tell you how tough that was. I can also tell you that it was worth it!
I set up a new study/writing area. I still have the comfy chair under my train table but It’s a little too comfy. Puts me to sleep; not a good thing when I’m supposed to be working.
I could go on, but I am starting to bore myself. Let’s just say that my interests are a little too diverse. What I have mentioned above is just the tip of the iceberg. At least I can say that “couch potato” is not a very accurate description for me.
Despite my scattered interests, at my core I am a writer.
Even that area of my life is diverse. In the last few months, I have written several chapters of Synced or Countdown or whatever the title ends up as. Then I switched gears and had a blast writing on Reymons. Now I’m working on the first edit of Wil Clarey: School of Hard Knocks. Read on if you would like a peek into each.
Countdown is a contemporary action suspense novel about a hacker and a pastor desperately trying to stop a massive terrorist attack. It’s quite a challenge switching to writing for adults. While I love the story line, right now, it is mainly a practice piece to learn how to write more gripping fiction. I will get back to it, but my scattered brain took me back to something completely different.
Reymons was the first real fiction story I wrote back when I was 16. In December, I started reworking it to be a viable YA novel. It is a post-apocalyptic story about a young man’s discovery of the truth of the world and his efforts against all odds to discover more and bring it back to the “civilized” world. A couple weeks ago, I realized that I had to rework the character list to simplify it. Too many characters!
While I ponder my character list, I am back to working on Wil Clarey: School of Hard Knocks. After completing the first draft, I set it aside for several months so I can get a fresh look at it for the first edit. Two weeks ago, I started that edit with a new first chapter. You can get a peek at it on my Wil Clarey blog.
It is the second book in the middle grade fiction story of a teenage boy with high functioning Autism making the transition from city life to country living. As Wil starts to get used to his new small-town school, he finds himself struggling with forgiveness in a serious way.
Don’t worry, the seriousness is mixed with a continuing mix of humorous and adventurous scenes. Honestly, I am looking forward to seeing what other situations Wil gets himself into as the story reforms itself.
All this is to say that the wheels are still spinning in this scattered brain. Keep your eyes open here, at The Wandering Pen, and WilClarey.com to see what’s happening.
Solano Writing 