Back to the Storyboard

I really have to try something new, because what I'm doing now isn't working. I'm having a harder time with Simply Sara than I ever have with any book I've ever worked on. Note: I've completed two and made serious inroads with four others, so this is kind of saying something.

Not sure what it is about this book, but I'm really struggling here. Serious, meltdown-inducing kinds of struggle. The higher-than-usual chocolate cravings should have been a sign.

Danny and I sat down during lunch and talked about it (that statement sounds more grown-up than it was. Less adult conversation and more talking-off-of-ledge). The conclusion I've come to is that I'm taking next week off of writing. In lieu of writing, I'm going to spend a week storyboarding and really figuring out WHERE THE HECK THIS BOOK IS GOING. Because there's a good story in there, and some good characters, and it's already funny and poignant and all that good stuff, but my idea of where it's all going is kind of hazy.

Hazy is bad. Actually, worse than bad. Soul killing. Mind numbing.

While I storyboard, I'm also going to try a project or two that Sara would do. This gives me a.) some fun things for her to do, for me to write about with authority and b.) an actual concrete project with a beginning, middle, and end within the foreseeable future.

The hope here is that when I return to writing, I will know what I'm doing and be able to return at a faster, more reasonable pace.

Really hopeful here, because something's got to give.