Momentum has begun once more

After my bout of inspiration this weekend, I was able to immediately crank out 500 or so words without even breaking a sweat. It was awesome. I had to stop though, because it was late and I had to get up very early yesterday morning. But despite the fact that my fingers were no longer dancing on the keyboard, the story continued to unfold within my mind as I played with each permutation, throwing away implausibilities and snatching the sparkly gems of insight.

Yesterday I was not able to continue getting things on paper, because I'm trying to study for an exam. But since I managed to write on Sunday, I don't feel so bad. I used to think that getting 1000 words a day would be impossible, but judging from how quickly I was able to create 500, I think that might be a manageable goal for me to aim for. I have wanted to get a schedule going, so that I can continue to write every day, and this latest burst of energy is just what I need.

With every step forward of course, there is usually at least one roadblock. As luck would have it, my LCD crapped out on me this weekend. Luckily I found a fairly cheap laptop a while back on EBay and have been able to use that. And since I'm a computer geek, my house (and its computers) is networked together, so I can access all my files, my first draft of my book, etc. I just don't get to sit in my comfortable chair at my desk, because my laptop doesn't fit that well there. I would have to move stuff around (i.e. push the keyboard way back, move the trackball), and I just don't want to do that knowing that I will have to put it back later. So I've been using the laptop for all my computing needs, because my kids have grabbed tightly to the other computer in our house and aren't letting go.

I also grabbed a copy of Angels & Demons, by Dan Brown. For those unfamiliar with the name (I can't imagine who would be), he wrote the controversial book, The Da Vinci Code. I'm not one to pay attention to the hoopla surrounding his books, but I do appreciate the quality of his writing. In short, I enjoy them a lot. I leave it to the ignorant masses to decide whether he is trying to destroy the institution of the Catholic religion or not.

So far, this prequel book is engaging and quite suspenseful, despite the fact that I've only read a chapter or two. I've found myself really paying attention though, to what works in his writing and what doesn't. I used to just read a book to read it, but I now find myself admiring the good writing and learning techniques that hopefully I can use myself. Its a weird and interesting place to be for me, because I've never been this investigative about books before, instead being happy to just read through them.