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Springy

It’s been a long, cold winter but we’re finally here in the lovely, flowery Springtime!

Spring

The Vernal Equinox has come and gone and I’ve got the cake to prove it.

No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn. ~Hal Borland

I’ve heard that other parts of the country are still firmly in the grip of Old Man Winter, but it looks like we’ve escaped at last.

Sprang

So, I’ve had this recurring ouch in the aftermath of my little oops with the van back in September. When I bend a lot or lift heavy things, it stands to reason that I’d get a bit of a reminder of my not-so-recent accident.

Thing is, of late I’ve had an ongoing pain that ranges from persistent side-sticker to feeling like someone body checked me with a baseball bat. I’m glad I’m seeing my doctor tomorrow because it just keeps hurting. Even when I’m not doing anything, it feels like I’m leaning my full weight on a metal railing.

The most recent x-rays indicate that the ribs have mended but it really hurts like you can’t believe. Hopefully, the doctor will have something helpful to propose. I’m really not liking life right about now and it’s time to start getting outside and active again.

Sprung

In the process of setting up to change our computer from Windows Vista to Windows 10, I had an opportunity to listen to a lot of Chris Fox’s playlists. His approach is a lot more plotter than pantser, but it makes a lot of sense to me. He was a programmer, so his approach is very methodical. I can identify with that.

Another idea that I’ve seen recently is the idea of a Series Bible. This is a comprehensive notebook of everything to do with your milieu, characters and story. This has been compiling unofficially in my head and on random pages of my notebooks. The idea of getting it all together makes so much sense that it should have occurred to me earlier.

As for being methodical, I’ve been looking into a variety of structures for story plotting to ensure that I don’t get off track with all the pantsing. Of course, there’s the traditional plot point approach which uses the 3 Act Structure. Adding to the 3 Act Structure is Blake Snyder’s 15 Beats approach to screenwriting. A similar approach is Dan Harmon’s Story Circle which is based on Joseph Campbell’s Hero With A Thousand Faces.

So, with all of this acquired wisdom, I’m getting sprung from the quagmire of following my muse into untamed territories.

The first quarter is rapidly drawing to a close and Winter is just behind us. I hope you’re enjoying the change of seasons, too.