DAY ONE

The background work for School Spirit has been completed for nearly two years, believe it or not. A series of circumstances prevented me from beginning the novel sooner, including continued revision of Godtalk.

But now it's time.

So I came to work this morning, set my School Spirit folder with all the background work by my computer, got a cup of hot coffee, opened up a blank Word document, took a deep breath, and then just sat there, completely unsure of what to write.

I haven't started a fresh piece of writing in almost two years--at least not fiction. And even though I'm aware of the paralysis that sometimes occurs when a writer stares at the blank page, I still felt all of the usual insecurities of "What if I can't think of anything?" "What if it's terrible?" "Where do I start?"

Eventually, though, after quieting my mind, taking a few more deep breathes, and attempting to envision what was happening to my main character--where he was, what his sensory experience was, how he felt--I began to type.

Before my half an hour was up, I had at least one full page typed, maybe even a little bit more. Whatever I wrote will almost certainly not be what I end up as my beginning with in the finished (and revised) product, but the key is I got something down.

It's on.