Two Page Average

Things have been very good as of late. I finished my Barnes & Noble training only half an hour ago. I like the mentality this company has--their standards are very high, so getting in the door was the biggest part of the battle. Our store manager said today that they get 30 applications a week on average, and they don't throw them away! They're always looking for talent. Also, they love to promote within the company/store.

Here's the silver lining. I've been talking to the Field Trainer quite a bit. She says she never dreads having to go to work, and from the way she acts, I believe it. I took part in some sales roleplaying with her and she blindsided me with a few things (like a customer would). Later on, clearly in the presence of the store manager, she said I will do great as a bookseller because I've shown a lot of enthusiasm for it.

The good news doesn't stop there. As I've already implied, I've been doing a lot of typing on Ashes of War. Two pages a day on average. That seems small, but it's more than one might think, mainly because I don't start in the proper format. The way I type, I start at the top of the page, 12-point font, single spaced, and go all the way to the bottom. The reality is that I "officially" put out twice as many pages as I say I do, since standard format is double spaced.

I have jumped around in the story quite a bit, but it's allowed me to develop and enrich several of the Uyoku characters and plots so they'll be consistent throughout. I even found another subplot this week, this one based around the assassination of a socially important figure. I don't want to say a whole lot because I haven't pegged down all the details, plus I want there to be some surprises.

Speaking of which, I need to go back to the typing. I'm working on a very intimate sequence that leads to the previously mentioned assassination plot. Yes, "intimate sequence" is code for sex scene, but there's no way around it. The overall story of the book will suffer without it.

Recurring Themes

Before I get to this evening's writing, I think I should discuss a dream I had last night. This isn't something I'm doing for anaysis purposes, just to get it out of my head so I can think about it clearer. This shouldn't take long.

I was at my high school and it was 7th hour, when I would have Basketball/Basketball Practice every day. For the most part, everyone was sitting around goofing off. We still had basic drills to go through--standard warmup, free throws--but nothing serious. It was so not serious, many of us were wearing out street clothes. I don't remember too many details, but I do know it was one of the times that Kathryn was doing stuff with us.

What? Don't think a girl could be badass enough to keep up with the boy's varsity team? Factually speaking, it happened.

Anyway, back in the land of dreams, I was sitting the bench. The odd thing was that I wasn't me from 1996-1997, I was me from today. For some reason, I was getting up to go somewhere, somewhere notable (which I don't remember, aren't dreams funny) and I was being pulled down by my right arm. Kathryn had twisted her arms around mine, holding close to me. She said she didn't want me to go. Why? Damned if I know.

Other events happened, but that was the moment when this dream truly became lucid. I knew, at this point, that I was in a dream. It was that point, when I found my old friend sitting next to me, that stuck with me.

I fully admitted to myself a few months back when I remembered having a dream with Kathryn in it that I most likely dreamt of her every time I slept. The closest friends you have in high school are the ones that stick with you emotionally, if not in actuality. Same thing goes for the first person you're really attracted to. Guess who fits both categories?

Maybe I'm trying to shake Kathryn from my mind. Or maybe my lingering thoughts of her or the character that grew from my thoughts of her are keeping me from something creatively. Or maybe it was just some stupid dream. Whatever it might be, part of me wishes I knew.

The Value of Willpower

It could be argued that the way we manage to do the things we do, is because we will ourselves to do them. We decide that we are or aren't going to do something and we stick to it as long as we can. When someone manages to see that decision through time and time again, they could be said to have a lot of willpower.

I decided I was going to get a job with Barnes & Noble when I heard about their mass hire a little more than a month ago. I sought out references and contacts, cleared time to get an interview. I told myself that not only could I get a job with them, that I would get a job there. Not only did I get a job, I got one when I thought they would just be calling me in for another interview. I was very pleasantly surprised and accepted the position.

I'm not sure why, but I do feel relieved. Not having any job really sucks, and I'm really not the type that wants to keep living on handouts of any sort. When I decide I want something, I go after it.

I decided I would finish The Golden Compass when it got a little bumpy. My reward was a really good book, that from everything I've heard, is just an intro to something greater. I decided to write, so I did just that. I cranked out a large portion of a sequence from The Silent Covenant where four characters venture through a little area called "the silent forest," where no sound exists.

When that hit a wall, I started looking into Ashes of War again. I found that a lot of the political shifting through the entire book revolves around a battle near the city of Byakko. That's why I've started diagraming where the city is within its landscape and where the invading forces are set up prior to the battle.

And let's not forget that ever-irritating thesis. This week, I've managed to speak with Dr. Scheibe not once, but twice in person. We've gotten the ball rolling again to some extent. I'm scheduled to have another draft turned in the first week of October.

I've had good fortunes in the past week. I've been lucky and I'm greatful for it. Of course, having the will to push myself forward helps by leaps and bounds.