Witchdoctor
When I’m not editing the sequel to The Nexus Ring, I’ve been working on a new story, Witchdoctor. I’ve been struggling with it for months, and mostly it’s seemed like an undisciplined heap of scrappy notes. Finally it started to come together, and today, I wrote the last chapter! I have a complete manuscript! Of course, it’s just a first draft and it needs lots of work, but after all the struggle I had to pull this together I now have hope it can become a decent story.
As an aside, check out the page for The Nexus Ring on maureenbush.com. Derek has added a map of Josh and Maddy’s journey, and we’ve included photos.
Maureen
Banff
We spent Monday in the mountains – a birthday lunch at our favorite restaurant in Banff, some casual hiking when the skating rink we’d read about on-line failed to exist, and a visit to the Natural History Museum.
The museum, in a beautiful old building, is full of cabinets of dead animals. 
Most of them are as old as the building, and just as lovingly cared for. While I’m not keen on looking at stuffed animals (real ones, not the toys), I find it fascinating to see birds I’ve read about and seen illustrations of – up close.
I also was able to confirm one tidbit of information for the sequel to The Nexus Ring. There are security cameras at the Banff Cave and Basin, including at the basin itself (an outdoor pool, one of five pools inhabited by the endangered Banff Springs snail.)
The day was beautiful – sunny and warm, with a crisp wind to bite our cheeks and remind us it was still winter. There’s less snow in Banff than in Calgary, and, oddly, even less in the foothills between the two.
The photo was taken by the Bow River near Bow falls.
Avoiding Writing
The masses of snow that fell in December began melting last week, and a lake formed in front of our house, as the entire street tried to drain to our corner. When I became frustrated with writing I worked on clearing ice in the gutters, to try to drain the lake.
I know it’s a bad writing day when I’d rather do almost anything to avoid writing. Finances. Laundry. Cleaning the toilet. Sometimes I find a fun distraction, like playing in the water on a warm day. While I play I wonder, What do other writers do to avoid writing?
Maureen
Editing, again
My editor, Laura, sent me a suggestion for reworking a slow part of the story. It’s an intriguing idea, and I’ve been playing with it all week. First, I had to go back to The Nexus Ring to see what I’d written there. Then I started working through the new manuscript, playing with the idea and seeing how it links to other elements. Oddly, it fits well with some elements that weren’t very well developed before. It feels like they were just waiting for this, to have a bigger role. I’ve figured out how it will fit, and where the major changes need to be made. Now I just need to write it.
Maureen