I've been really antsy at work this week, so I've taken to walking around the massive parking lots outside the different buildings at work to clear my head. Luckily the Carolina weather has cooperated with me -- usually ain August the only time you're outside is when you're walking from your car to your house. You don't want to be out in the Southern heat an humidity that sucks your will to live as it bakes you like a potato.

Apparently going for walks during the work day is strange to most people -- I've have two different people comment about having seen me walking around the parking lot. Perhaps I just look like an oddball. I'm usually thinking about writing or debts or life in general, and how the hell I'm going to spend 30 more years or so doing this before I can retire. You know, the usual stuff.

I also started jogging again in the mornings before work, dragging our poor greyhound Whit with me (he's gotten out of shape as well, poor dog!). This influx of physical activity has got my brain going again, and I'm itching to write some short fiction before the workshop (only 2 weeks away from today!). I know I won't want to do anything other than the novel revisions when I get back, so I want to squeeze in some story stuff now.

And I mean, really, how hard will it be to jam out a couple stories in two weeks? After doing about 10,000 words in a DAY a few weeks back, writing a 20-page story sounds like a walk in the park... Right?

I had a brand-new idea working in the back of my brain all morning, and I think it could be a good one. And I also figured out how to fix a story I wrote 2 years ago -- chop off the last 80% of it and start over after the very cool opening scene -- so I want to work on that as well.

Maybe I'll think more on these story ideas as I circle the parking lot this afternoon and get some more weird looks. Guess I need to stop talking to myself and gesticulating as I perambulate, eh? LAter...