Craving Creativity

I started writing again last night. For real. Sometimes, I can’t help myself. I just wish I had more time to devote to it.

In fact, the whole thing started up again when Brett took me out for lunch. There I was – sitting next to the man I love, by the window of a sunshiny restaurant on a beautiful day with the delicious smells of fresh bagels and cream cheese just wafting by – and I’m imagining how cool it would be for my characters - Josh and HER - to direct an electronic pulse through the window of a café causing a heart attack in their mark who steps outside his office to grab a hot dog from a street vendor. The whole plot storyline also includes a very cool GPS laptop and a laser IN HER SHOE!

And when Brett asks me what I’m thinking, I say, “Oh nothing. How’s your soup?”

If he only knew.

Brett has a lot of faith in me. It’s one of those mixed blessing. While it’s great and infinitely encouraging having a husband who thinks you can hang the moon, it’s also a lot of pressure.

He knows how much I love to write, and one of his favorite things to say is, “Baby, I know you can write a best seller! Then, I can retire.”

But, Brett is NO bookworm. A book collector – yes. A book reader – no. Over the years, he amassed a HUGE library of biblical books. I could never figure out why he would buy books that he would never read. He has a learning disability that forces him to read every word twice before comprehending it, so you can imagine reading is no day at the park for him.

I was relieved (immensely) when he decided to donate the books to our church for Pastor’s library. I never figured out if owning the books made him feel like he was ultimately going to read them or for other people to assume that he had read them.

But then again, you are hearing this from a girl who ONLY buys books if she’s already checked them out from the library 20+ times and still wants to read them. I take book-buying very seriously in a land of libraries. I hate to waste that valuable resource!

Anyway, back to writing. My latest venture is the tale of two assassins-in-training – Josh and Her/She. Her/She does not have an identity, a birth certificate, or any record of her existence, which really does make for the perfect assassin’s background. Anyhoo, these two early twenty-somethings were raised as children in an unconventional way by an older assassin (the back story of how the three of them came together is FASCINATING but it’s integral to the plot twists, so I’m not revealing it…YET) who is now training them to take over his business.

It’s fun writing, and I like the characters. The older assassin is named Jaeger (pronounced like Mick Jagger). I’m actually thinking of that for the title.

Speaking of fun characters to write for – I’m having a hard time keeping twin, teen heartthrobs Sam and Harry Hathaway as side characters in Bruised. When I write dialog for their scenes, it’s like I’m not even writing. I’m just listening to them talk.

Carleen was reviewing my manuscript the other day, and she told me the interactions between Harry and Sam were the best. She said their scenes were the most real and grounded the rest of the story in truth.

So, that’s good. Except for that they’re NOT my main characters. Huh. Maybe they should be. But I’d hate to give them top billing. They’re very bad boys.

Rebellious. Great looking. Very bad boys.

I worked on Bruised some more last night. I’m still having trouble with the plot twists. I hope inspiration strikes soon. I’d hate for it to be YET ANOTHER young adult novel with no point.

I was hoping to get some more writing done tonight, but Brett’s dad called last night. He wants us to come up and have dinner with him and the parents of one of Brett’s high school friends. So, to be a good wife and daughter-in-law, I should go.

Writing goes on the back burner yet again. But who’s to say what I can dream up on the ride up to Geneva? Oh, if I only had a laser IN MY SHOE.