Congealment

Stories are sort of like sourdough. You aren't making each one from scratch; you're cultivating a bit of the old one, even if you don't know it, and it makes the new story better.

I hope I'm doing that successfully. I'm writing the current novel in scrappy little bits, all of which I need to connect. All these different files, it's like trying to create life by growing all the organs in different boxes. And since it's first-person I've got tricky things to worry about like keeping the voice consistent.

Whenever one of us is in a play and we come home from rehearsal, my dad says--always, no matter what--"Is the show gelling yet?" Really. And he never uses the word "gelling" in any other context, ever.

So I'll say this about this story of mine--I hope it gels.