It’s a rainy day here at the top of the mitt. My joints are creaking. I suspect they learned of my love of the sounds of squeaky door hinges and are trying to do one better, ouch. Rainy days have always been wonderful reading days – thunderstorms, not so much. There I am, focused on the book, and CRASH! My arteries are cleared of plaque and my tea is decorating the sofa.
Writing on a rainy day can be problematic. I can use it to create a dreary mood, but the muted lights make me drowsy. Napping on a rainy day is bliss times ten.
Today I’m writing on the first draft of the fourth Cid book. I’m 23,000 words in, and I’m liking several elements of the story. Too early to tell how much I will keep. First drafts are when I hop on the ether train, stopping only to research areas that will impact the story if not correct. I will ride the train to the end of the line, stopping only to sleep, make corrections on the book in editing, and bang my head of the desk.
The world of Cid Garrett P.I. is different than the Haunted Series; although, I do have some crossover of characters. The mysteries in Cid’s world are all solvable without the help of BAR (Birdmen, Angels, and Roumain.) I think Cid’s novels are the closest I get to a more traditional ghost story. The reason I say the closest to a traditional ghost story is that I make a point to have my characters do their best not to do the traditional stupid things. It makes the story harder to write, but I think for those who read a lot of ghost genre stories, you may appreciate the lack of repetition.
I love what I do; although, I, like everyone, have bad days. Life is not a novel. You can’t back up and rewrite it. You can however learn from it, praise yourself for surviving it, and do your best to make the moment you are in better for yourself and those around you. As an author, I have learned that you can’t please everyone, and typos happen. As a person of the world, I’ve learned that you can’t control inconsiderate behavior, solipsists, narcissists, and those who are presently on my naughty list, oy.
Rainy days are great for reflection, eating chili, Chinese food, and homemade soup (hopefully not together, but in this house that has happened).
One of my favorite vacations with hubby was when it rained the entire time. We sat on the screen porch on the glider and read King, Koontz, and Masterton during the day and kept the light on all night (scary).
What is your favorite rainy-day memory?
