The Italian Federation Goes Off A Cliff

I know I said I wouldn't talk about what I was working on, but it might not matter in this case. The story was to be a submission for John Joseph Adams' Federations anthology, but that deadline was up weeks ago. I thought I'd try outlining it, which is something I never do, but I like to change things up and see what happens. After I outlined and plugged in the few pages I had, I sent it to the AlphaSmart and worked at it on my lunch breaks at work. I wrote it like I wrote Maisy's Many Souls, which is to say . . . to be honest I don't know how to explain it. You could say I let the characters take over. That sort of writing is the exact opposite of outlining. I know, but that's okay. Anyway . . .

You know how some writers say they wrote themselves into a corner? Well I wrote myself off a cliff. Yesterday, maybe halfway through the story, my protagonist had a revelation which makes the second half of the story pointless. I wrote it and turned my AlphaSmart off. I'll look in on it again in a couple of weeks, see what I can do with it. The story has to be fundamentally different now to be a story. Ah well, these things happen. The story is called "The Italian Federation." I say this so that if I bring it up again you'll know what I'm talking about.

The next thing I'm going to work on is--

Nope. Cant tell you.

Anyway, it's been a day leaning toward crappy. I've been sick, as I said. I got a few important things done around the house, but I got a feeling to which I shall now refer as "The Empties." It's what I felt before I used to go into a depression. I try not to do that anymore, but The Empties are still there. I'll be over it tomorrow, I imagine.

Back at it.

Tooth and nail.

Sunshiney day.