summer nights

I like evenings like tonight, when I've eaten just enough to feel full but not too much. When the sun is sinking lower on the horizon, tinting everything in golden hues. When my eyes are wide open and sparkling with excitement and good things.

I've decided to try and write another novel this summer. I hate how pretentious that sounds. Like, oh, in between reading some Faulkner and playing Sibelius's Finlandia on the oboe, I think I'll try to squeeze in my eighteenth novel.

Not so much. But I have written two novels. God, that sounds crazy. One in November for NaNoWriMo, and one in March/April this year because I wanted to prove I could. I love this stage, when you tentatively commit yourself to an exciting new idea. But I still have months to pick an idea, flesh out characters, find pictures for visual inspiration, plot out scenes... Honestly, the prewriting has to be my favorite part.

I don't mean outlining. Outlining... is more specific. What I like is scribbling my character's names in the margins of my homework, writing down scraps of information here and there, and seeing a person on the street only to do a double take when they look exactly like someone I'm writing about or someone I'd like to write about.

I like to spend about a month or two figuring it out. Thinking about it. Contemplating, if you will (again with the pretentiousness). What about you? What do you do to psych yourself up for a new project?

June is good. Summer is good. I think I could get used to days like this.