It’s been snowing since I got up this morning so after brewing myself my pot of Sunday coffee, I sat down to write at my desk by the window, Scout curling up in the bed at the top of his cat tree behind me.
When I write fiction, I generally write and edit at the same time. Very rarely do I ever write a draft and then go back to edit it — those manuscripts end up being one and the same. As I’m writing a line for the first time, I highlight or demarcate (in brackets, for instance) parts that I feel will need to be edited. That way, every time I open my document to continue, my gaze immediately catches on all the highlighted sections one by one, and I can quickly make changes if I can think of how to edit them with my fresh perspective. In this way, my newest sections of text are always streaked with tons of colour and annotations, and fully edited sections of text look plain. In short: the colourful sections are for my eyes, and once the text has been made plain, it’s ready to be read by someone else.
As I write, I also like to worldbuild on a larger scale, and make little references to other WIPs or completed pieces, so on days like today, I end up opening other projects or manuscripts and cross-referencing. It’s such a pleasure to solve a problem or a plothole in one WIP with another (whether directly, or just because your subconscious happened upon the solution while you were busy focusing on the current WIP). Which is to say, in writing TE10, I’m solving a huge issue that I otherwise would have had with the opening chapters of my novel!
Once the pot of coffee ran dry, and the words that had been flowing so readily in the chapter did too, I decided to switch to doing a general clean-up in the apartment (…not my favourite activity in the world, but it needs doing) as well as the laundry, both of which gave me a good excuse to get a bit of exercise and pop outside for a bit of fresh air. And to admire the icicles and falling snow.
Scout was only too happy to try and help me change the bed sheets once the other set came out of the dryer… the operative word being try. His idea of helping of course, was to hide under the covers and swat at my hands as I tucked the fitted sheet over the mattress.
I have also begun considering the idea of adding a sign that says The Scouthouse above the litter box, but considering the fact that I have already put a sticker of a peach above it, I feel the pun might be overdoing it.
I’m open to feedback.
On an unrelated but equally-weird note, Scout is finally starting to drink in front of me after nearly a year of coming to live with me. Before then, I’d only witnessed him drinking from his bowl two or three times, even though the water level would go down a little bit each day after refilling it.
You know what this adorable little weirdo does?
He dips the tip of his forepaw in the bowl first, and then he starts drinking.
Leaves a little wet partial pawprint on his placemat.
I have absolutely no idea why, but he does that every single time.