Getting Comfy

So the other day, after almost two weeks of wandering in the desert of my mind, I committed to a project. Incidentally I also gained 10 pounds during that time so writing is much better for my health than I realized.

Well I'm at the part of process where I'm researching and character sketching. No plotting. That comes later. In years past I would be freaking out about now; antsy to start writing and have something to sell. But in my old age I've become comfortable with my process and that's a big step. This is the part where the mysterious part of my brain seems to be conjuring up all the surprises that I'll mine in the writing.

In other words, I look like I'm doing nothing but really there's a lot going on.

And like The Ballad of Aracely Calderon (which Margo Candela is graciously reading), this project seems to have been percolating ever since I was ten years old and saw Marilyn Monroe perform "That Old Black Magic" from Bus Stop.

If you're bored at work or curious as to what I'm up to, here are some of my inspirations for this particular work-in-progress:


Photo from the Ambaassador Archive @ www.ambassadorarchive.net