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Overnight Guests
March 20, 2004, 10:24 p.m. I am suffering the most bizarre form of writers’ block. I have ideas popping out like mini-Athenas everywhere, but I just can’t seem to put it down on paper. Or .doc file, to be exact. I write in a very linear fashion, because I like to accompany my characters on their journeys. I find it makes for, if not better, at least easier writing. So I get an idea, and I put it in my Notes file, and then I get all excited about writing that part, so I open up the actual story . . . and stare at the blinking cursor for a few minutes in dismay. Dammit! A couple of people complained that I introduced too many characters in my first chapter. Thing is, there’s not a lot I can do about that. These people just turn up on my doorstep, needing a place to stay, and I can’t turn em away and I don’t know how long they’ll be here. Some of them only last a night or two, some stay a few months. The ones that last a long time always surprise me. I turn around and they’re still there, and they’re trying to talk to me. And suddenly I realise how they fit into the story, and how could I have not seen it before? But, like I said, I don’t know which ones stay and which ones will. So I write them all the same, and wait for the natural attrition to set in. So don’t fuss if you think there are too many characters in my first chapter – half will disappear by the second. And the other half will tell an entertaining tale. At least, I hope they will. I guess only you guys can be the judge of that : )
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