On Retreat in my Dreams

Rhoads_Gilchrist_3831I dreamed this morning that I was at Gilchrist, the retreat center I’ve written about before.  I was hiking through the mists as the sun started to break through.  Dewdrops sparkled on my shoes.  I remembered seeing the deer on the next hill, watching me, before leaping away into the trees, white tail flashing.

In my dream, I thought: I should go back to the cabin soon.  I should settle down to write.

Then I woke.  I remembered I still have at least 5,000 words to write on Kill By Numbers, the sequel to The Dangerous Type.  It’s due February 1.  I can make the deadline, but apparently my subconscious felt I needed a momentary retreat before it kicked me out of bed to get to work.

Kill By Numbers is the reason I haven’t been blogging — or doing much of anything else.  I found out about the deadline at the end of November, when I still had 25,000 words to go.

I’ve made good progress, but it’s been interesting to me that I slammed the first 50K words out during Nanowrimo 2013.  The rest of the book — a subplot, much more character development, several more points of view — has taken much longer.  It’s been the difference between a good, solid first draft and an almost submission-ready novel.

Rhoads_Gilchrist_3839I found out last week that the third book in the trilogy is due April 1, so once the current novel is out the door, I need to dive into the next one.  I’ve got a good outline to work from and a couple of kickass opening scenes, but it’s going to be a long haul.

I need to figure out how cram my Gilchrist experience — the long drive, the great copilot conversation, the amazing home-cooked meals, the isolation, the silence, the woods — into a day. Because that’s all I can afford to take off, before I kick into gear on No More Heroes.

I can do this.  I’ve been preparing for it all my life.  But’s it’s still daunting.

About Loren Rhoads

I'm the author of 199 Cemeteries to See Before You Die and Wish You Were Here: Adventures in Cemetery Travel, as well as a space opera trilogy. I'm also co-author of a series about a succubus and her angel. In addition to blogging at CemeteryTravel.com, I blog about my morbid life at lorenrhoads.com.
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3 Responses to On Retreat in my Dreams

  1. Maverick ~ says:

    I’m sure you’ll do it. 🙂
    Whenever I get the time I’ll give you a good review on Amazon. Really enjoyed “Wish You Were here”.

  2. Spinsters And Son says:

    I know you can do it, and I can’t wait for it. You’re one of my favorite writers, and it’s exciting to watch you work….. not that I’m stalking you…….

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