INSPIRATION

Start of the Day: 166,251

End of the Day: 169,258

Written: 3,007



A much better day! Managed to put my other problems behind me and just write.

Of course, it helps that I am onto a new chapter and not bogged down just revising old stuff but still it's gone well especially as I didn't have a bloody clue how I was going to attack the chapter. And then...inspiration!

All of a sudden it all fell into place and what had seemed impossible became quite straightforward. The set-up is Norma back in the Rookeries with Burlesque trying to put a spoke in Heydrich's wheel and I've managed to do it by taking a character from DM1 - a big, blonde, busty girl called Sporting Chance - and by linking her with a hook line from the first book...EUREKA.

Inspiration is a funny thing. I was reading a piece by Justin Cronin who's been having such success with The Passage where he says he has his best pieces of inspiration when he's running. I wish it was so predictable with me. Most of the time I have my best ideas when I can't sleep at night - always a problem this, I've got to get up and jot them down so I don't forget them overnight - and, most often, when I'm chatting things over with Nell. Driving to see the girls is a good time: we're sealed off and can talk uninterrupted and undistracted. I've often had to ask Nell to take notes while I'm driving.

But today was different. It was almost as though two pieces of disconnected material had been lurking around in my head waiting for a moment to thrust themselves to the front of my consciousness and link up. The other explanation - a little out there, I know - is that characters take on a life of their own and some of them - as with Sporting - keep pushing for another turn in the spotlight. Every character wants to be a star.

Weird.