A year ago tonight I sat down at this keyboard and wrote the first paragraph of a novel about Hild of Whitby. I wasn't sure I was ready to begin but I'd been thinking about this woman, her times, her place, for years, and for some reason I just had to put my stake in the ground, right that minute, and start this book before I turned 47. So I did. And tonight, exactly twelve months later, I have 69,000 words.
I'm pleased. It's a new kind of work for me, using a new voice, new point of view, new kind of character, and involving a time period where new research is published just about every week. The people of this time were balanced at the corners of at least four languages, several religions, many new paradigms, tropes and fashions. It's thrilling to live behind their eyes, to grow and change with Hild.
The thing is, I have nearly 70,000 words and she's only twelve. This is going to be a big book...
Anyway, for the forseeable future I'll be away from the Intarweb every afternoon between 1:00 pm and 6:00 pm. (I've been testing out the new timetable and my productivity has tripled.) With any luck, you won't notice a difference. Except perhaps for today when I'll be working my way through my list :)
