Well, I am halfway through the second draft of my science fiction work. Rewriting is easier, because most of the words are there in front of me already, and harder, because there is a lot of second guessing involved. I test different orders of scenes and name things that only had placeholders before. I have to keep telling myself I have permission to do it badly – for some reason, that is much easier to remember on the first draft.

New story ideas do not help! They demand attention; they allure and thrum with more excitement than a story I have already been through from beginning to end. Still, both are necessary. Note the new ideas (did you know you can text message your own phone number? It is so useful) and get back to work. This profession has large amounts of both play and work, and each is as necessary as the other.

I do not feel like a professional yet. Exploring these stories is too fun, the people who know about it or benefit from it are too few, and my content is practically zero. I struggle to justify treating this like it is important.

Onward and upward. Next update will be at the midpoint of the official National Novel Writing Month challenge!