Old Habits Are Hard to Make

I mentioned before how with this new project I'm working on, I decided to write a little more freely, allowing the characters and story to dictate where it was going. So far, it's been working out great. The opening fifty pages or so really blossomed into a world far more interesting than I ever could have planned. Many small details emerged just in passing that have become key elements to the story. This isn't exactly new for me. The same thing happened quite a bit when writing Life is But a Dream (out in just several months now). But with that book, they were within a more rigid plan that I had to begin with. I had only a basic plan here.

Of course, after writing sixty pages and having all of these elements beginning to take shape, I couldn't resist falling into old habits. I needed to spend a day figuring out what all of these elements meant. I knew they were all working together, but it was important for me to figure how before I messed it all up. I'm glad to say I did. And the story--it goes on.

(ARTWORK by Chen Ke: an amazing Chinese artist whose work I saw on exhibit in Switzerland)