Work is progressing nicely on the novel revisions. I'm working on one of the new chapters I realized I needed to stick into the book, so it's been fun writing new stuff.

I was going to say "brand-new stuff," but it's more a case of adding some new bits along with some odds and ends I deleted or moved from other chapters.

What's cool is that I get tell this portion of the story from a different perspective, so a scene that played out one way in a previous chapter can be played out in a completely new light in the new chapter -- you get to figure out this new person's motivations and personality, and figure out why he or she said or did that. Lots of fun.

And, best of all, I'm not worrying about word counts or page numbers or even chapter numbers. No numbers right now. Just story.

In other happenings, I found myself thinking a lot about the recent school shootings as I took a mid-afternoon walk today. Part of me is angry that the media is jumping all over these stories and playing them up (possibly causing copycat attacks for people craving any sort of attention).

But mostly I'm saddened by the violence in this country, especially that against innocent children. It makes me wonder what it's like to be a high school kid or a high school teacher these days. Or even an elementary school kid or teacher. How do we stop this? How do we protect our kids and help those who think they have no other option but violence?

Wish I had some answers. Later...