Why blog?

I've lost my nerve. I'm writing a story and finding it hard work and hating every passage penned. I figured it couldn't hurt to chronicle the whole appalling affair. The flip side of this sad tale is that I've always loved writing. I wrote early and often, penned my first (unfinished 75-page) novel in high school. Majored in English. Got a job in publishing. Became a book editor. And promptly stopped writing stories. Since then I've had two kids, participated in two NaNoWriMos, joined two writing groups and have been building what I hope will be a textured and believable fantasy world for my story and characters. I'm just a little thin on plot. I've got one, but it's the details that are killing me. As soon as I sit down to write a scene, the characters take me in a completely different direction from the one I'd determined. I don't know if this speaks to my lack of will power or the unruliness of my characters (or both). It wouldn't be so bad if one of my closest friends didn't have a propensity for writing amazingly well-crafted first drafts. Her dialogue is witty and fresh, her plot compelling and fast-paced. I feel like a very ancient and clumsy turtle next to her. I've begun to wonder if my research and world-building is an elaborate form of procrastination. More on this later. Excellent work here. Procrastinated writing my story yet another day. For the win!