When you still like your story, but think you should start seeing other people

Last month (May 2014), I started from scratch on a story I began about 14 years ago.  Life in the ‘Cosm is  based on a cartoon strip I started doodling in the mid 90s, about a broody character named Virj Ofreesin (verge of reason), his fried-egg-resembling pet Splot, and his sentient daisy housekeeper named Sonny.

I have to admit, I am having a ball. I have attempted fiction before, and loved it, but then put it away for years as I started writing about my faith on a former blog (no longer available).  Also, life as a technical writer and Web developer got in the way.

It’s funny; I remember being on a plane when I was 24 and discussing a manuscript with  an older woman who sat beside me. She said to me that I shouldn’t write a book until I was at least 40. I thought that was insulting at the time, and knew there were many good young writers out there, but now I half wonder if that message was meant just for me.

At almost 45, I have experienced so much and have a better sense of myself. I have also accumulated many friends from different walks of life. I like how even in my faith I am theorizing less and engaging more. As an extrovert, I truly enjoy the company of people, and the more diversity, the better!

As I have dived feet first into this story, I have been enjoying burning up the keys on my remote keyboard for my iPad. I always know when I’ve put in too many hours when I get that light-headed feeling and I say to my tablet, “I still like you, but I think we should start seeing other people.” But then I eat a couple of cupcakes and feel like dating my book again.

So far, I think I’ve finished the first draft of four chapters. It’s a kick to read them on my Kobo. I also laughed like a dolt on my back deck at some of the dialogue when my Google Play Books app read the text out loud.

The characters are much more robust than my scribbles in a simple comic, and I see them differently in my mind now. I just showed my doodle so you would see what I originally invented.

And now, I must run. I feel the urge to eat, which is one of my major talents. I don’t have to watch my weight, as they say, because my stomach is way out in front of me, so I can see it quite easily.

Cheers,
Cait