I do all my best thinking in the shower. (1) Unfortunately, by the time I dry off and dress, those brilliant thoughts are long gone, washed down the drain. But today, I managed to hold on to a glimmer or 2; I hope that’s enough to find my way back to the original ideas.

First, I’m not sure I can pull off my Godred story in first person. I’m afraid I just don’t have the chops for it. BUT, I don’t intend to throw in the towel without at least trying. One piece of writing advice I have never been that enthusiastic about is doing a character interview. Now, however, I think that is exactly what I need. I don’t think I have a firm grasp on Godred’s voice, and that is what is tripping me up on the beginning. I still may go back to third person, but first I’m going to let Godred tell me about himself.

I love analogies. I explain everything via analogy, and a new one came to me today. I was thinking of the differences between short stories and novels, and it seems to me that the main difference is not so much one of length or scale, but of the level of immersion. In a short story, you get just a snippet, a snap-shot of a small part of a much bigger world. It’s like jumping into the ocean without any gear, taking a quick look underwater, and climbing back in the boat. Afterward, you could only describe a small part of that undersea world; your description might be beautiful and detailed, but it can only encompass a limited amount.

For a novel, you get a scuba suit and two full air tanks, or a submarine. You have the time and space you need to immerse yourself. (I seem to have a water-theme running today.)

So in summary, all thinking and no writing, as usual.

(1) My former boss, a PhD in education, once told me that people are most creative when in a womb-like environment, frex in bed or in the shower. Haven’t you ever had a brilliant idea right as you’re dropping off to sleep? She’s definitely on to something, but it doesn’t really seem feasible to spend large amounts of time in bed or in the shower trying to boost your creativity.