Write on through to the other side

Yesterday afternoon started off wonderfully.  I put the boys down for an early nap (they were both a little grumpy – must have been something in the air) and sat down to get some work done on chapter three.  All was going swimmingly for about a page and a half and then…apathy settled in.  My mind began to drift, the slightest noise was a disturbance worthy of hopping online, and I think I spent a good twenty minutes staring off into space looking at absolutely nothing.

Not wanting my rare and peaceful afternoon to be a complete waste, I decided to force myself to write, something I am notoriously awful at and about.  Explanation: I am terrible about making myself do things, especially things I’m apathetic about.  Also, when I posted it to authonomyThe Lokana Chronicles received many comments about pacing because I hopped from scene to scene to scene.  The problem?  I quit writing the scene well before I should have.  As a result, I spent a lot of my revision time adding onto existing scenes and praying I wasn’t just adding fluff.

Since the story wasn’t flowing well, I decided to work on my pitch.

Eight is great! Well, sort of…

Ah, eight.  Eight is great!  Two, four, six, eight, who do we appreciate?

Okay, that was kind of random.

First Communion cake – my decorating skills are improving!
Photo by Kay Kauffman

For my kids, eight was a pretty great year.  Both of them participated in the ritual of First Communion at our church and were surrounded by family and friends as they celebrated the holy sacrament for the first time.  Tomcat was privileged to gain two new baby brothers within a month of each other during his eighth year, while Miss Tadpole spent her very first night away at Girl Scout camp.

Such a pretty smile!
Photo by Kay Kauffman

Miss Tadpole attended Camp Tahigwa, the very same camp that I attended myself as an eight-year-old.  I was so excited; I had never been that far away from home before and the brochure made everything look super fun.  With Puppy by my side, I could face anything that camp threw my way. Or could I?