Easter Half a Day away

It's so close I can smell it... have you made any plans? Where are you going tonight, Frank? Some place exotic? Tahiti, Hawaii? (That's from 'Catch Me If You Can,' the film starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks and Christopher Walken)

I'm staying put in Hong Kong, meeting people and getting on with some writing. 'By Foot or by Feather' has suffered a long enough hiatus, but then again, that's all I can manage with a full time job. And I've tried writing full time before; I don't think it works for me at this stage in life.

Writing can be incredibly hard. I've sat in front of a blank page many times unable to think of what comes next. My novel needs conflict.

In my desperate state, I googled 'I feel like giving up on my novel' and found some great sites. A cyber pep talk. Unearthed some real gems out there: Natasha Lester's site, for instance, and Don't GIve up on Writing That Novel. Very encouraging. I don't have any intention of giving up my writing, really, but sometimes I felt that badly about it.

And then yesterday, I was asked what the novel was about and I told my friends. And it helped. Really helped. I have something of an idea about how to progress, even though I still have reservations about pursuing that thread. Better than writing nothing. By far better...

So, Easter? Writing, friends, church, sleep... Where are you going tonight, Frank? Some place exotic...?