Future and Past can change places

One of the premises of my novel is that time is only a perception. One of my characters can leave the present at will. She runs into a potential problem, however, when she intends to show visit her 12th birthday party (a few months into the future) to see if she gets a new bike but lands instead at her 2nd birthday party, the only big kid there! How did she mix up the traveling words and how will she get out of the backyard party unnoticed?

Writing down my story

If anyone is following my blog, you know I love to do two things: travel and write.

Traveling makes my crazy; writing helps me sort it out. Maybe I was crazy to begin with and just don't notice the insanity in a different language (probably a good thing). Whatever the reason, I anticipate more trips. I've made two promises about our next trip: we will travel first or business class, and I will not pull anyone's hair (I swear, the last time was an accident).

This brings me to my big writing project. With the help of my husband, my sister, and a kind writers' group, I am writing a book! It is a fantasy about a young lady who talks to dragons, one specifically. I started this at least five years ago but just joined the writers' group this spring (2009) and have actually been organizing and achieving. It's about half done, and this is truly exciting. I never thought I'd get this far, particularly since I don't read science fiction or fantasy. Maybe that's why I'm writing it. Is it okay to create my own genre? I've read a few books with dragons on the cover, trying to learn how they think and act. At the end, I've usually read a Medieval love story, with a dragon who flew through once or twice. I'm not criticizing -- every story is important. I just haven't yet found the books that give me insights into dragons' thoughts and emotions.

So, I'm on my own here. When my book is finished, I'll let you know. If a dragon is on the cover, it will be because he is one of the main characters. I've given him a name, physical dimensions, a home, emotions, and a task. For the task, of course, he needs a human, in this case, the young lady.

Many times when I'm falling asleep at night, these characters are on my mind. A question, and sometimes the answer to one, often wakes me up in the morning. Instead of forcing myself to work on the project, I have a hard time staying away from the computer. It is always with me. I love it.

Correction

You may remember that in February/March of 2009, my husband, Brian, and I visited my daughter, Ronda, in South Africa. She was in the Peace Corps, working in a village named Makotse (go to "older entries" if you would like to read about some of our experiences in that country). We met several of Ronda's coworkers, and I misspelled one name.

Here is that correction: the lady's name is spelled Pheladi, not Pilate. I apologize, Pheladi. Our names are important to us. Now I will always remember you -- and your name.