Now We're Cooking...

I didn't realize it, but my characters and plot MUST have been percolating in my subconscious, even in these months of inactivity. Though I was trapped in the world of the mundane, that strange and wonderful machine of my inner thoughts was hard at work. I say this because, now that I'm writing again, things that once seemed bogged down are now coming clear.

Epiphanies are springing up left and right. Elements that I once was attached to I can now finally let go for the good of the book.

I have incorporated these changes to Chapter 1 and half of Chapter 2. My characters are awakening. My plot threads and foreshadowing are coming together. Best of all, the entire land of Belfour is coming alive with new magic.

Yes, I should have gotten back to it sooner, but I don't regret the time away from it. Sometimes we need to take a breath and unplug our sizzling, over-complicating lobe from what we love most, if only to let the story simmer.

It's like cooking a delicious stew. If you've taste-tested it a hundred times during the process, you may be tempted to overseason it. Or you may miss a crucial ingredient because your poor taste buds just can't tell the difference anymore.

Even in the important things - no, especially in the important things! - it's ok to step away from the stove and let it simmer.

Just don't leave it so long that it sets the whole kitchen on fire.