I miss having an office to go to. It’s been three months since we stripped the office down to the studs and discovered a bit of an electrical dilemma. We knew there might be things inside the walls we weren’t prepared to deal with on our own, but we didn’t realize the room might be out of commission for the better part of a year waiting for an electrician to actually show up and assess the situation. I guess I’m glad it’s not the living room or the kitchen in this state of undress, but srsly, I’m a writer without a desk at the moment. And I have a deadline.
The only comfortable seats in the house are in the living room/dining room, and that’s the hub of the house. I can send the kiddos to play upstairs or outside, but unfortunately, I can’t stop them from needing to pee or eat. And I can’t gag the sun-conure who wants to sit on my shoulder constantly. And I also can’t seem to block out the noise of the cat who chooses now to sit beside me and lick himself noisily and incessantly.
I took some comforters to the laundromat the other day, in hopes that it would be quieter there. No such luck. The couch was lumpy and the chairs were just… ick. And there was a television on nearby that I couldn’t block out. Not some place I could sit and concentrate. I’m also not the sort who can plug in at Starbucks or B&N and actually produce anything. I need quiet. Complete quiet. And my books around me.
I’m on page three of a three-page synopsis. Sounds good, right? Yeah. Except I’ve not covered the black moment of the book yet, so I know I’m failing miserably at focusing in on the absolute bare bones of the story. I keep getting lost in the love triangle. Edwin this. Hunter that. I thought this story was about Jennifer, but somehow the guys keep taking it over. I’m glad they jump off the page like that – hot guys definitely equals good reading in young adult lit as well as romance – but I need them to back the f- off and let Jen’s character development happen. Also, the plot is a bit of a whodunnit. And a conflict between the guys drives the plot a bit, so they aren’t exactly expendable. But I KNOW this can be boiled down to a page or two. It can be done! I just need to focus for more than ten minutes at a time!
