Catching Idle Butterflies

What boredom will do.

I’m bored.

It’s not that I have nothing to do. I’m inundated with stuff, stuff I want to do as well as need to do.

Nope, I’m bored with this little white screen. It’s no longer the “White Screen of Intimidation.” It’s the “White I-have-absolutely-nothing-interesting-to-share-with-others-but-still-have-the-desire-to-write-something Screen.” I guess this is proof that if a person does one thing consistently for – what is it, three weeks? – it becomes a habit. Yep, writing in my blog is a habit now. Whoopee!

I think.

Today I will write about how bored I am. Yep, I want you to be bored right along with me. Ain’t I a sweetheart to share my abundance? It’s either that, or cut and paste a previous entry and hope you don’t notice!

So I decided to make you read my to-do list. Don’t worry, it’s relatively short, and it has everything to do with writing.

I figured that’s the best list to put on a writing website, don’t you?

1. Edit the rest of “Killer of Minds.” When I sent in my first chapters to Winsun Literary Agency, I added the promise to have my manuscript completed within six weeks. He didn’t ask for any deadline, but I added it anyway to put a flame under my tail section (Pray I don’t have gas!). I have 5 weeks to go, and I’m about 1/5th through the manuscript. I think I’ll make it.

2. Finish my other novel “The Red Dagger.” This was my National Novel Writing Month project from last year. I made the 50k, but I set it aside because after writing nothing else for 30 days, I was too sick of it to continue. I’m almost finished with a mini-outline of the ending (to make sure I don’t get lost). This is an offshoot of “Killer of Minds.” It ends a few years prior to and even ties into “Destroyer of Wills,” the second installment of my trilogy. The difference is, while “Killer of Minds” and “Destroyer of Wills” are Christian Science Fiction (that’s Christian Science Fiction, not Christian Science Fiction) “The Red Dagger” is more secular. It is the life-story of a minor character that I fell in love with and didn’t even exist until my seventh (yes, you read that right) edit of “Killer of Minds.”

3. Rewrite “Destroyer of Wills.” And when I say rewrite, I mean rewrite. I don’t edit the electronic file of my first drafts. I first sit down with a printed copy, bleed all over it with a red (red’s my favorite color) pen, and retype my changes into a new document. That gives me a more fresh perspective and hopefully streamlines my story more. After all, would I rather type 130k words again or cut it down to 100k?

4. REVIEWS! This one I keep putting off, dang it, and I’m feeling guilty for receiving so many and giving none in return. Spending a mere 10 minutes a day on one or two items is not out of line, and with that done, I can quit fretting about it.

5. Finish my portion of a science fiction anthology, but I first need to write an outline. With two chapters and a prologue done, I still only have a faint idea of what’s going to happen next. Besides, I want to keep it below 15k, and what’s simmering in my head will make it longer. Writing an outline will help me cut the plot down to something more manageable. At least I hope.

6. I want to write more monologues, but not just any monologues. Taking this in-depth Bible study course has not only deepened my understanding of Scripture, but I see the people involved as complete and sympathetic human beings. I want to write a book of monologues beginning with Genesis and ending with Acts, writing from the perspectives of mostly unknown characters witnessing great events such as Moses coming off the mountain with the Ten Commandments, Jonah being swallowed by a fish, David killing Goliath, things like that. Whether or not it will be marketable, I’ll figure that out later.

So there you have it. My list. Some of it I know repeats parts of previous entries, and I apologize, but hey, it’s now over. You have my permission to leave and wake yourselves up with more interesting blogs such as who wrote the next chapter in the Duck (or is it Dirk?) War Epic.

That’s what I’m gonna do before I sink in to a coma and my forehead breaks my keyboard. I have a thick skull, so there's no chance the keyboard will break my forehead!