Out of the Hidey-Hole

As it shows in my blog, Facebook, and Twitter, I've been hiding for some time now. I manage to show up every occasionally just to keep suspicions of my death squashed, but that's been about it. I'm sure there are a few of you who are wondering what may have become of me (of course, I've been wrong before...), so here I am. I'm finally ready to talk about where I've been and what I've been doing.

A few months ago, I was looking for a new kind of scary for my writing, and I turned toward my dreams. Trying to find ways to induce nightmares and such. It didn't work, sadly. Instead, I now have insomnia and very rarely dream. When I do dream, I hardly remember them, or at least they're forgotten by the time I get to my computer after work. Everyone around me seems to have found some amusement from my sleep deprivation, though. Not to say I'm the laughing stock, just its a joy working with me, because who knows what will pop from my mouth. My boss' boss found that out yesterday. I'm happy to say, I still have a job.

I have been working on editing like crazy. I have stumbled a few times and found myself stuck on a paragraph. Its been daunting, but I haven't given up. I want my story to be bright and shiney when I start sending out queries so the agents can be amazed.  It seems like I haven't had much time to work on editing though. Every time I start getting into it, a small catastrophy occurs. First it was both vehicles breaking down. Then it was a custody hearing for the boys, and the filter on the fish tank clogging and me thinking I'm going to lose over 100 fish. Now there's a vacation across the country coming up. Its been a stressful summer. I am sad to say that I'm ready for school to start so I can get back to a semi-normal schedule.

I've also been reading a ton. I got an e-reader for my laptop and I read Bram Stoker's "Dracula" for the first time. Surprisingly, it has spurred a few vivid dreams. I also read a few romance novels (though I'm a little reluctant admitting that), and a few other older works. I've learned a lot about how they keep their story from becoming dated. Of course, when the way things are written or said changes, or spellings of certain words, it really doesn't matter how timeless the story is.

All of these things have been leading to something. And, at least to me, its a very big thing. I slept in this morning. Serioiusly over-slept. I haven't been able to do that in a while, and something amazing came out of it. I've been completely under-motivated for some time, just doing what I need to do and nothing more. I go to work, I come home, I clean, I cook, etc. etc. I lost track of time. The last couple of days, I've had somethings happen that have got me thinking about what I need to do and what I need to change in my life, and apparently, an overstimulated brain has a lot to work out in sleep.

This morning (okay... afternoon) I feel so refreshed and alert. I had the most amazing dream last night. And I remembered most of it. Its written down. I have an idea for a novel that I'll be starting A.S.A.P. I don't want to lose it. Perhaps, I will share some bits and pieces of it later, but for now, I need to keep it to myself.

I can't promise that I won't return to the hidey-hole of writing and editing that I've built myself, but I will at least try to make my disappearances marked, in case anyone begins to wonder if I've dropped off the planet. And who knows... it could happen, I suppose.

P.S.- If this is complete rubbish and gibberish that no one can understand, I'm very sorry. Even catching up on some of the missing sleep, I still am having some issues with coherency.