Another problem I have is sometimes my subconscious/lizard brain knows better than my conscious mind that something isn’t working and the fracture in what isn’t working is so problematical that my lizard brain refuses to go forward until that problem is sorted out. That’s because the foundation is too shaky to hold the story and my lizard brain knows that things will collapse.

Sometimes it’s a problem where part of me recognizes that I”m starting in the wrong spot. Or a problem with knowing that the story can’t sustain itself if I go on (lacks depth or complexity or whatever).

And finally, sometimes it’s just a wall of fear I need to break through and just write and get to the other side.

Alyx: I tried the freewriting thing. Still couldn’t land on anything. Dammit. But what doesn’t work this time, will work next tie, right?

Kelly: that’s really fun. I decided to just do it and start somewhere. So I did. We’ll see. But amazing how easy it is sometimes to fool, self, isn’t it? Distract it with something shiny and then just run past and write!

I’m not going to start the book today, but I am going to write a set of practice sentences to help me along the way a day or two from now when I do decide to start. Opens document. Yep, ten practice sentences that could open this book that I’m eventually going start writing. Writes ten sentences. Now, I’m going to take the three best of these and expand them out to paragraph length. It’s still an exercise, or I wouldn’t be doing three, now would I? Does that. I think I’ll start the book next week, and it sure would be nice to have a sort of sample page showing one way the book might open, as an exercise, of course. Why don’t I take the best of these and expand it again. Does that. Ha, I’ve fooled you again, self. This really is the beginning of the book. Now you’re committed. Chuckles evilly about how easy it was to fool old Tim once again, then goes on writing.

Can’t wait for Traitor King!! Heck – can’t wait to pick up The Turning Tide.