Walked the ridge above Lake Billy Chinook from Overlook Park south. No trail, but soft ground and impossible to get lost. One boat in the water which whirred away as I sat here. A warm day, almost 60 degrees, a bit of wind.

Gives me a bit of the willies to be sitting so high. 

Going to start exploring this area more. Try to find some trails and or unused roads. This is the first time walking in two weeks because I've been sick. Even today I'm coughing, but damn I needed to get out of the house.

Still undecided what to write starting the first of the year. Hoping something will come along and announce itself.

One thing I've learned from writing Deadfall Ridge and Takeover. In both books, after 3 months passed by I figured out how to improve them. It's not only that I see the structure more clearly, I'm also more willing to be ruthless in cutting and consolidating.

But by then, I'd already sent them off. I went ahead and sent the revised Deadfall Ridge and I'll send the revised Takeover, but I doubt the editor is willing to read them more than once.

So I've learned. It seems to hold true of my thrillers most of all, probably because they are even more plot-oriented than my horror.

I've decided that from now on, no matter what, any finished first draft is going to be set aside for at least 3 months before looking at it again. I should be able to start putting this into some kind of schedule. Write one book, set it aside, write another book and then come back to the first book. After the initial delay it shouldn't hold me back at all.

I've proven I can write books, that I can finish them. But I'm wondering what the point is if I can't get anywhere with them. So that gets me thinking I need a "killer" idea. But...well, that just means I don't write anything at all.

I need to make a choice and just start writing.

Starting Tuesday, I'm going to start and I'm figuring that it will become clear to me what to do.