Are We Having Fun Yet?

It's been a busy weekend.

We took Sheridan to a Cub Scout function where he was taught to use bows and BB guns, and given safety lessons in both. He took a while getting the hang of the bow, but with his very last arrow managed to get it to reach and stick in the target. He did a whole lot better with the BB gun, hitting the target six out of seven times and scoring one bullseye. Not bad, considering I was going to consider anything that didn't include winging a scoutmaster as a roaring success.

Then Rowan got sick Saturday night, so we had to leap out of bed and perform those parent duties involving midnight urpings. Sheets were changed, pillowcases yanked, and the unhappy kiddo thrown into the bathtub while Mommy tried not to retch from the smell. I thought for a minute there I was going to have a community puking contest take place in the bathroom, but poor Karla managed to keep it together. So we got through that too.

On another front, I started a second writing project. This one will hopefully be an addition to the Shades series, and  involves a cursed statue that haunts a town. The idea just kind of leaped out at me while researching some urban legends. The idea is to jump back and forth between this and my zombie project as the mood strikes me.

I think part of my problem earlier was that I had gotten too grimly determined to complete the task of finishing  Argiope, and it just sort of killed the whole thing. I was to the point I didn't even want to write anymore...and to a degree I'm still fighting that. Now I'm backing up and trying a lighter approach. I want to produce, but I don't want to force things. So I'm trying to have fun with my writing again.

I intend to do a little photography and research, while at the same time trying not to push things too hard. I'll be keeping my eyes open for graveyard statues and similar things to photograph for cover art purposes. Might look at some truck stops too, since the bulk of the zombie story takes place in a truck stop. Besides,  photo junkets and exploring can sometimes lead to stories that I hadn't even considered before. For instance, my trip to the graveyard of the vanished town of Port Sullivan to research steamboat destinations turned into the inspiration for the Shades story, "A Memory of Me" instead.

So I'm going to try and recapture some of my earlier enthusiasm, and hopefully that will result in a better writing experience...because turning it into a grueling test of will didn't end up working so well.  And who knows, maybe if I'll lighten up the inspiration will come more freely. The statue story idea was certainly a welcome change. Maybe not as frightening as the idea of Sheridan running around the neighborhood with a bow and arrow, but it still has promise.

Oh, one last thought as I read the story snippet in my last post. That scene needs crows. Crows would add something. And maybe the rumble of distant thunder. See how rough drafts work?