Be careful what you wish for; you might just get it.

Life decided to take me up on my plea for help a few weeks ago.  I honestly thought I’d be able to sit down sometime that week and churn out the rest of my short story.  I truly believed the words would just keep coming, and I’d have a short story done in record time.  I was wrong.

Well, it’s probably not too late for finishing it in record time – but it’s just a tad overdue for one-week goal.

Of course, it doesn’t help that I’m trying an experiment with all of this.  I’m trying to sharpen my writing skills, and begged invited some of my family to help me.  I’m writing this story in Google Documents.  This is such a clever process (in my humble opinion) that I’m surprised I didn’t think of it before.  I have my master copy, there’s a copy that everyone can access, and everyone also has their own personal copy – all in Google Docs.  I scribble play write in my personal copy.  When a section (they’re not really chapters, as this isn’t supposed to be a novel or anything – it’s supposed to going to be a short story, after all!) is finished to my liking, I copy and paste it into the general copy.  Everyone can see that I’ve made a change, and can copy and paste the new words into their personal copies – which only I have access to, aside from the particular reader.  The reader is then free to comment at will, and I am (relatively) secure in the knowledge that they won’t be influenced by each other’s comments.  (There’s always the possibility that they can look at each other’s documents, but I’m fine with that as long as they only look over the parts they’ve each read and commented on….)

Of course, this has a slight downside.  Google Docs shows when someone last modified the document, regardless of the change.  This means that everyone can see when I add to the story, yes, but it also causes much weeping and distress if they find that I only fixed a typo.

Right, Family?  There is much distress and devastation when you find that I unthinkingly fixed a typo, not adding the rest of the story like you hoped?  (If you disagree, I’m taking you off the Google Docs list.)

(Just kidding.  😛 )

In my defense, I have been rather busy these last few weeks.  I began working at a new job at about the time I started working on this story.  I have Many Important Chores to do, much Exhaustive (if Rarely Performed) Cleaning to accomplish, Libraries to keep in touch with….  It’s a never-ending list.  In fact, if it doesn’t lighten up soon, I may have to take drastic measures.

I may have to declare a book ban.

You’ve never heard of a book ban?  What is it? you ask?  I’ll tell you.  It’s simple, really.  I ban myself from books.  Yes, I know it’s hard to believe – but I’ve survived one so far.  About a year ago, actually.  It was very… enlightening.  In a less-procrastinative sort of way.  Wouldn’t want to do it for very long, of course.  But it is possible.  I promise.

Oh, in recent news – very recent, in fact – I updated my author pages to include Christopher Stasheff.  I can’t believe I forgot about him for so long.  If you like reading about medieval times in alternate universes, this is the author for you!  I hope you find his books as magical as I did – he’s an absolute wizard in writing!

One last thing.  It snowed today, in my Dry State.  It’s just about melted by now, but it was really pretty while it lasted.  I wished I had my camera with me – the trees and bushes were beautiful.  It looked like a Winter Wonderland.