I've been writing every day. Haven't missed a day yet! I'm still concerned with all the work I have to do with the novel and it's best I get my hands dirty and start combing over the chapters, cutting here, adding there, shape shape shape.

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Stephen King punches my reader buttons--those buttons have to do with imagination and real human emotions conveyed perfectly on the page. Funny, it's not horror that draws me to King.

I just read Stephen King's The Dead Zone for the second time (the first being something like eighteen years ago) and now I'm reading it yet again. Two times in a row. I'm taking what I learned at the Big Book weekend last April in Lincoln City and putting it to good use.

Really, all I'm doing is reading once straight through and during the second read I'm answering four questions after each chapter:

1. Character POV?
2. What is the chapter's purpose?
3. Setting--where? And is it described or implied?
4. What does the reader know at end of chapter?

The thing is, with King his chapters are broken up into numbered sections, usually with a different character POV. So I'm answering these questions each numbered section.

I find this to be a fascinating excercise for more than one reason. One, this excercise works on a macro level where I can step back from the work and see how information is conveyed throughout the novel. This beats studying a passage of writing--I'm only seeing the words (micro) and not seeing the big picture.

Second, plot. I've had trouble grasping plot and I don't do too well with writing plot by the numbers. Writing novels forces me to focus on plot and I write from the subconscious (organically if you will) and I do better if I'm not thinking while composing. Channeling is what some writers call it. Looking at the big picture and how information is conveyed through this excercise seems to work great with the way I write. Seems to be a great way to grasp plot better.

I'm no Stephen King. He seems to be a natural born storyteller. Me, I have images, ideas, and emotions I want to convey, but I wouldn't consider myself a natural born storyteller. That doesn't stop me from learning to tell a better story.

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Ximena just sold her first short story. All because an editor at World Fantasy overheard her talking about her sock story to someone else. That editor suggested sending it in. So she did and she sold it to The Town Drunk. Woo-hoo! Congrats, hon!