Thanks so much for all the lovely good news shared!

also, my cousin’s husband’s sister had a baby yesterday, a girl named mackenzie. ya’ll have the same birthdays!

my water broke at home yesterday (wednesday) morning at 1:30, and my little boy arrived after much pain and suffering (no joke) at 5:26pm.

alexander lukas b…
nickname “xander”
june 6, 2007
5:26 pm
7 pounds 7 ounces
19.25 inches long

he’s a dream. and i feel like i’m in a dream too!! all i want to do is stare at him and cuddle him and laugh at his funny “talking”. he makes my world a better place.

^ that is in caps.

I would have included the name but was afraid would be counted as spam.

I’m also experimenting with astrology as a tool for character development. I have the idea, and overall plot in my head. Nothing too concrete(want to see where the story goes on it’s own really), but character development was always a stumper for me.

So I used the MB Free Chinese Zodiac and Star Signs software to get surprise character traits for my male protagonist. By sheer luck(and randomly choosing a birth date), I managed to have someone whose Chinese and star signs don’t mesh. Consequently, there’s a fair ammount of inner conflict.

Then I made the lead female’s signs compatible with his. They both have inner conflict(as do most people, not just characters), and using astrology, is keeping them from being one dimensional.

After I finish sharing I’m going to give signs to my male antagonist. They have to be exactly the opposite of the female’s(in astrology, not unlike life, opposites attract). If they’re opposite the female’s, they’ll automatically be incompatible with the male protagonist’s, this should lead to all sorts of yummy headbutting.

Mind you, I have to give them voices, backgrounds, well, their lives. Still, the tedious bits are out of the way. For all I know though, the male characters might trade roles before I finish, and the female might decide she prefers her own company, to the company of two headbutting men.

So you know, it’s not completely random. I need the conflict. Internal, for them to be believable(to me), and external, because these three people have been thrown together by life or death circumstances. They need to work with each other in order to survive.

So what’s the word processing freeware you speak of?

Who am I kidding? Organized as possible. That’s better, I can keep the ideas as organized as possible.

Wanted to thank you for “How to write a novel”, but no more comments there. Anyway, that’s my good news, I’m unstuck, and your blog is helping a lot.

Also, i’ve got a new new bicycle, with brakes that actually work, one that makes me so proud that i even park it in the paid parking when at the train station. very middle-aged, but my lovely new bike derves it.

Rebecca: Snow blows!

Calliope: Well done. I can’t play nothing. I am dead impressed.

i’ve been feeling our baby kick and move for about three weeks now, but last night he kicked my husband!! it was pretty amazing, jeff was actually speechless (which is *highly* unusual). all i could do was laugh; i was giddy with happiness.

i have good news: i just passed the 50K finish line for nanowrimo for the third year running! this victory is especially sweet this year, because i really thought for a while that i wouldn’t make it.

i’m pregnant!!! we’ve been trying for so long (well, obviously not the year he was in iraq, but for over three years before that). so…next june we’ll have a new addition to our family..born in germany!!

I guess my good news is that I’ve been accepted on a short university course. It will either be the start of a second degree or at the very least beginning to mop up some huge research holes before ruining an ok story.

my husband is HOME!!!!!!

(if i could, i’d put “home” in all caps…but i can’t. oh well.)

he was gone for 351 days. but now he is home.

happiness abounds.