Onward

Today as I sat at my desk at work, from under the old computer I use for extra functions, a spider came scurrying.

No, charging. That spider charged at me. Desperately. Suicidally, it turns out. I squished him like a…well, like a bug.

Then I felt bad. Why did he do it? What was he trying to protect, trying to prove? What was going through that little arachnid brain right before my reflex attack ended thought forever?

He was just a wee brown spider. Not a black widow, nor a tarantula. A harmless little spider I could have easily put outside had I thought before responding. Or, I could have easily missed, had he stayed hidden. I don’t use that part of my desk often. My desk is U-shaped, and I face that leg of the U for maybe fifteen minutes a day. Had he simply waited to make his escape, I would not have seen him. Had he not been charging straight at me, I would not have killed him.

So why did he do it? I’ll never know.

But I felt bad.

Yeah, okay, so I didn’t. We didn’t. My whole school didn’t have the power today.
Okay, query in the mail. Despite, or maybe because of, an absolutely horrendous day of work…

Take 824 kids. Turn them loose for “Field Day” to wander the campus, supposedly with their teacher, but the teachers don’t go where they say they will, and they let the kids go to other teachers if they ask nicely.

Now make it a Wednesday, so the kids get out early and parents think of it as a half-day and so make appointments when the kids won’t miss as much class time.

Now cut the power. That’s right, no computers for finding kids’ teachers, no phones or intercom for calling classrooms, no bells, and only six walkie-talkie-type radios.

Guess whose job it is to find all those kids?

Yeah. I got that query ready in self-defense. One more day like that may well kill me.

I’m thinking about my series tonight. Now, before I get published, is the time to make any big changes I feel necessary.

Now if I could only decide what’s necessary…

One of my characters is a telepath. (Yes, it’s Eve.) It’s not a big asset to her because the ability is not under her conscious control, and probably never will be. Her instinctive use of it nearly kills one of her friends, even. This is therefore called a flaw, and it’s A Good Thing for a character to have those. Besides, it really makes sense for her to have the ability inborn, given what she is.

Since I’m dithering, though, you’ve probably guessed there’s a problem.

In order to give Eve someone who could attempt to train her, I made another character a telepath. Her ability didn’t come from the same source as Eve’s did, though, because Eve must be unique. So Ariel’s power comes from…hmm (thought I). Where does it come from?

Ahh. Another plot twist. I made it happen. And then I thought of something else, and on, and on.

The problem is, I haven’t pursued those bits of worldbuilding at all. I have no plotbunnies (and no time, and no energy) to pursue any, and I just could care less right now. There are others, too. I’ve got seeds planted all over the damn place, but for five books I haven’t harvested most of them. And the more important ones are the ones I’ve glossed over. But I really don’t want to remove them, either.

Oh well. Taro is most likely to get published first, and I don’t have many seeds in there. Taro, being Taro, is oblivious. Get Taro’s book, Rafe’s, and Donte’s out there, and maybe then I’ll have a little room to maneuver. Well, then Keen. Joss. Yeah, after them–Jadzia. Beth. Kat.

Wow, was I really worrying that I hadn’t written anything new but Flame in a while???

I need to WRITE FASTER.