Sometimes, we need a reset - like the weather!

I know the calendar officially flipped over to fall last week, but I haven't seen it yet. Since the 'official' change over, what we've seen here on the North Coast is ... summer. 90s most days, incredibly blue skies, humidity. And falling leaves.

It's weird to see the leaves fall when it still - or again, as we actually *had* a week of fall weather before the calendar changeover! - feels like summer. Kind of like the weather has forgotten what it's supposed to be doing.

Kind of like writing a book and losing your place. I've done that, probably too many times to count. I've written pages and pages and chapters of fun, silly, interesting scenes. Scenes that do nothing for the journeys of my characters, nothing for the plot of the book. Nothing but entertain. I see the value in that entertainment, but when you're writing a book and it's supposed to be *about* something. *sigh* The corner your manuscript has landed in has to be fixed. Made to have a purpose, made to fit what would be the journeys of the characters had the book not gotten so off track.

I don't have any great tips on how to do a reset - mine resets involve a lot of gnashing of teeth, straight-up cutting of scenese (and moving them into a different document), and going back to the last place that felt as if it was moving the book forward. On the plus side, those purely entertainment scenes? Usually get places later in the book, with a bit of massaging, and emotional layering, or a push into the journey.

And like the books I sometimes have to reset, I think the weather needs a reset. Because if the leaves are going to fall, I think the temperatures should fall, too.

Don't you?                                                                                               ~Kristina

PS: I have no reason to also include the quote from Helen Mirren...but I love it...and I think it's
advice we all probably need to hear more often. No fear!