First of all, it’s not at 1:04 a.m., which happens to be the time of this post.

I used to think that my best pages would come at night, probably accompanied by a pair of headphones and a warm glass of some dark liquor. These days, however, I’m less certain. Some of my favorite chapters have started with the sun.

I could–or maybe should–wake up early enough to take advantage of that. But then I’d have to wake up early.

You understand my dilemma then.

Couple updates on a few things. Still cranking on Sophistication. Hit a snag for a bit with a story thread, but now I’m humming along again and I’m getting close to the end.

There may be a very sharp deadline in my future. Not an easily ignored self-imposed one, either, but the real deal. If that proves true, I might need to take a week and hole up in some cave, grow out my beard and eat bugs while I race to the finish. A slight exaggeration, perhaps. Maybe a week in a hotel room with no distractions so that I can pull 10-hour shifts. That scenario seems more and more likely–and sorry family.

Eager to discover how the story wraps up. I know it reads like a cliche and maybe it is–I’ll own it–but the truth is, I usually don’t know where my narrative is going. I feel like my fingers get me there, not my brain. And sometimes my brain thinks it has the inside scoop on a big plot twist and then my fingers give it the bird. Figuratively. I can’t tell you how many times I had huge plans for a character and then my fingers killed them off. Gods-damned traitorous appendages.

Anyway, I’m at a stage now where Sophistication feels like it’s writing itself. The words come a little faster every time I sit down and I have to stop myself from pushing forward too fast. I can see the end zone and want to sprint for it, but if I do, I’m gonna get crushed by some overzealous, overgrown linebacker. Except, the linebacker will be a few shitty pages of dialog, or a gaping plot hole.

Then, I’m barely coming up for air before I dive into The Deep, Dark, Down. That’s another post, though.