Yes, I took a hiatus from writing while I did some freelance work.  Reality - in the form of "time to pay the bills" keeps interfering with creativity.  However, the freelance work is over, along with the paycheck. So, it's back to working on the new book. 

I was reminded of writing persona as I played on  a site which allows one to play with cute little puppies and kittens.  This morning, I received a friend request from who was obviously a young teenage boy. I have a feeling he probably assumed I was a young teenage girl. I steered him towards my site & then remembered, that whatever my age, I really am a writer. However, to be a writer, I have to write. So, thank you, teenage boy -- wherever you are.

Life becomes such a balancing act.  Not only am I expected to be be so many people, I actually am all those people. I am mother.  My children still rely on me -- I suppose the same way I would have relied on my mother if she hadn't died. Husband relies on me to keep everything organized and on track -- especially as he forgets even the simplest grocery list.  The dog needs me. Now the new cockatiel needs me. I worry about money.Oddly,  I don't so much worry about getting older - as long as I don't lose my marbles.  And then there's my writing....  which is always tapping into such a fantasy world and to make it real to others, it must be absolutely real to me.  My wiriting is perhaps the most real part of me and yet that is the part that gets shoved aside.

Having moved the colony to the mountains, explored the feelings of the desigs, I swtiched gears with one of Dr. Staimler's letters to his long dead brother, William.  The reason I like these letters, is that they give insight into Dr. Stimler's motivation. While he is and will be "the bad guy", in his mind, his actions are justified and for the good of humanity. However, his view on what is beneficial for humanity and John's view are entirely different. If I only describe Paul Staimler through his actions and how others perceive his actions, then the  danger is that he becomes unrealistically evil.

I inserted a page where John, after seeing Tony in progenitor state, sees Mary Bennett in hybe. Reluctantly he admits as to how he can understand why Tony broke into the hybe section to try to "ranim" her. (Ranim is the word they use for waking from stasis).  This also gave me the opportunity to show a bit more of how desigs think and regard both themselves and the ship.

I need to insert something about Mary Bennett.  Perhaps when John is looking at the progenitors for the first time.  After all, Tony would not have met his untimely death had it not been for her.  Since she is going to be the love interest for John, I need to ramp up her presence is the book and also explain why she is still in hybe.

I have finally worked out a structure for the clones on the ship: There are eight progenitors.
Anthony Bartlett (original crew) - engineering
Maria Spagnoli (original crew) - engineering
Johnny (designed) - all purpose crew
Adam (designed) - all purpose crew
Beryl (designed) - all purpose crew
Flo (designed) - science crew
William (designed) science crew

Father Clarence

Why am I getting very few hits on my mornjournal site?  Although very simple, it certainly is the most exciting.  To remedy this, I've put in a plug for the site on the home page of my author site. I think I will re-do the "in progress" to show the first several pages of Morn:The Beginning.  I need to start growing an audience for the new book.

The blog for the Hamptons.com site has been posted. http://www.thehamptons.com/blog/ I must say, the small chunks approach seems to work.  Today's small chunk is resolving the number & ages of desigs on the Aurora as well as writing 1 page for Morn:The Beginning.

I wrote the blog. I e-mailed it it in.  It's only 11:00. I must say, I do give excellent advise. If only I would always listen to myself!

I am battling procrastination. In fact, I confess I am fighting an all out war which I seem to be losing. If I were giving someone else advice (I'm very good at giving excellent advice to others -- just not so good at advising myself), I would say "Break it into small chunks. Don't worry about the big picture." Very well, today, I will do that.  All I have to do today - preferably before lunch  -- is write the Grizzlob blog for thehamptons.com

I have set up a Twitter for me http://twitter.com/SciFi100  where I can "tweet" about writing & sci-fi.  The problem with Grizzlob's twitter is that since it is a story, he can't interract with anyone.  This makes it hard to get followers.  However, hopefully SciFi100 can keep mentioning websites and sooner or later someone will click on them. I need to decide which desig character I am going to follow in MTB. I may need to insert more material after current chapter 10.  A reasonable choice would be Desig Anthony Bartlett as I feature him both in the book and in the journals.  Or, it could be Desig Anthony Bartlett the younger.  I know plot-wise, I need a desig contingent that stays on Morn & I need a desig contingent that flees with the ship. The challenge facing the desigs is how or even whether to retain their desig status -- or to be absorbed by humanity. After all, the desigs are proud of who and what they are.  Each one is the same person as his/her Progenitor.  Once they have children with a human, that link is gone forever.

I find it hard to keep focused on my work when I get so little feedback. I am behind on MTB. I seem to have gotten side-tracked by Spring, gardening, finances, and the huge question -- Will the house rent this year?  I face turning 57 which is the age of my mother when she died. I probably have a nagging dread that I too will die before reaching 60.  I have further complicated my life by escaping into buying a cockatiel. I don't have the cockatiel yet, but I am committed to it and am extremely excited about the idea. Of course, the bird (who I have already named Mr. Chuckles) will give me yet another excuse not to write. That being said, I will work on MTB today. One thing I need to do is clarify exactly how many & which clones I currently have on Aurora. I may need to go back and do some re-writing to start establishing some lead clone characters with whom the reader can identify.

I have re-worked the Forrester Journal site so that the journal entries appear on the home page. I am also starting to create an identity for the "Morn Liberation Front" that I might use in future sequels.

It's too bad that "re-writing" does not begin with "m". That would make for such nice alliteration. However, the fact of the matter is that I do need to be more aggressive in marketing my work. I also need to backtrack some on the Morn site and in MTB to include the three moons.  I suppose I could add a page in my mornworld site for Morn mythology.  I wish I could find a local artist - preferably a kid who I could partner up with & spit proceeds in some way who could do sketches for my creations. I mentioned it to Dora - but she's pretty busy right now &, being established, would probably want to be PAID now rather than wait for some royalty split later which might or might not happen. It's hard to work in such a vacuum. I seem to need some sort of feedback and encouragement that all this is not a waste of time.

I have decided that Morn has 3 moons. The Forrester expedition named them Caspar, Melchior & Balthazar after the three kings.
   However the Mornians call them by different names & they are a pitvotal part of Morn creation myths.  In the beginning, there was the All-Void. Then, the All-Being became self-aware. In becoming self-aware, she realized she was lonely. She laid three eggs. (Remember Morn evolved reptilion). But because the eggs were conceived by one parent only, they did not hatch. Nevertheless, the All-
Being loved them. (Not sure about actual names yet)  they represent: All things past that did not happen, all things present that are not happening, and all things future that will not happen. So, the All-Being created a mate so that her eggs would hatch. For a time, all went well, the Other-Being and the All-Being mated many times. Thus, the planets & galaxies & all life forms hatched.  Alas, the Other-Being became restless and wanted to see what lay over the horizon of stars and so he left.  After weeping many tears, the All-Being curled herself into a ball which became the planet Morn orbited by her three sterile eggs. Of course, another myth has the All-Being devouring the Other-Being after they have mated. In either case, the All-Being is alone, but fertile and still laying eggs.

I thought of this on my way to the grocery store. It needs a bit of fleshing out & I need to come up with 3 Morn sounding names.