So, I couldn't sleep last night...
Mood:  caffeinated
Topic: Writing
When I finally decided it was bedtime last night (oh, at around 3:30AM or so), I found that I couldn't go to sleep.

I've been struggling with an idea I had for a new novel, and I just wasn't liking the direction it was going. Mark of the Maker had become a tattooed Harry Potter, and that was something that I just didn't want. I needed a new direction, a new angle to look at the whole concept. Last night, while struggling for sleep, I got it. And I think I can still use just a little of what I've already written; all I have to do is tweak it a bit to better fit into the new tangent.

My major problem now is an antagonist. Evil for evil's sake in fantasy is bad, bad juju - I need to give this antagonist a reason for his hatred, and a reason why he wants to bring down not just the Makers, but the world. Do you know how hard it is to flesh out the personality of a person you don't like, from the get-go, because you're not supposed to like them? It's near impossible. I need to bring this person on the scene fairly early, too, because I want the novel to have an urgent feeling about it.

Nonetheless, I plan on writing quite a bit today. It's early yet, and I'm still working on the caffeine infusion, but the spark's still there, and it's growing steadily into an ember. This evening, it will be a flame.

I can't wait to re-start Mark of the Maker. It's a story I've thought about for a long time; all that's needed now is to fill in the gaps with what happens between.