Epiphanies

I love when inspiration strikes. 

One of the most memorable moments of inspiration for me was one day while I worked with that contractor organization and I was on a jog trying to figure out how I was going to design the craft certification training that Brad and Rick wanted to be completed. Now, I don't remember exactly what hit me, but I remember how it hit me and where. BOOM! I had been chewing on the problem, and it just hit me. It was almost like a dog worrying on a bone, and then POOF the problem was fixed when I least expected it. It was a great feeling. And the idea was a great one.

Well, it happened again. This time with my writing. 

I've been sitting here trying to figure out how to get my novel back on track. Keep in mind this is my fourth novel, and even before I started it was a slog. It started out titled, Sunset Perfect. I went through several ideas for the main characters, and I wrote several drafts. Nothing seemed right. 

I think I switched things up. Wrote another draft. Still didn't seem right. I was going to work on it some more but then this silly thing called a PhD got in the way, and I became a master of not novel writing, but of academic and dissertation writing. 

During that time I wrote a little on ole Sunset Perfect, and then just a few months ago, actually changed the title and the premise. Still the same plot. Same, but with more well-developed characters. 

Having just started reading my next novel this morning, inspiration hit. I'm gonna go back to Sunset Perfect, and greatly simplify everything. Already I see the whole thing taking shape and I'm much happier with it. I see how to introduce the story into the plot, how to bring in the characters and make it all take shape. 

Love epiphanies like that.