Chatting leads to working

So, YES, I had a giant "yes" day yesterday. I worked for, oh, just about all day, on a new outline, envisioned some new scenes, and started playing with the idea that my novel is shaped like an hourglass or a dammed river. We'll see how that plays out, but for the moment, I feel like I once again have a sense of direction.  

AND, I'm no longer convinced that my book is two books. Maybe I was being greedy. I think I can simplify and enrich and all those good things and still keep most of the elements I've been working with. I still have a major revision on my hands, but that's as it should be. As I've said before, I don't really count drafts, because I've drafted some parts of my book so much more than others. But I think this next go will be about the third FULL draft (the first one being really raw). I'm hoping this draft will lead (in a surprising but inevitable way) to its conclusion, but I'll be pleased if the thing makes sense and reads like it's all of one piece. 

Around 11pm last night, I got on Google chat with my rockstar classmate Varian. We made a deal that he would keep reading if I'd kick around my outline for a bit longer. I did, with some of the best results I'd had all day. Yay for online school! 

Currently reading: The Painters of Lexieville by my former advisor, Sharon Darrow. I read through all her feedback on my novel last night, and it was so nice to reconnect with her as a mentor that I want to hear her voice in my head some more.