Got some fun writing done today. Several of the female characters that impact Bobby Scones became more fully formed, and some scenes are now more at the level they need to be.

And, a couple of characters who play big roles in Bobby's life got together way out in left field and had a very interesting exchange today. It's no stretch to say these two are not going to get along easily. But at this point in the story, Bobby is in serious trouble and needs all the help he can get - these two are going to have to figure out how to make it work.

One of the themes that came out in the writing this weekend has to do with life-changing events. We spend a lot of time understanding ourselves and learning how to make our world work for us. When something dramatic comes along, and forces difficult changes on us, it creates a lot of confusion and hurt. One of the characters is learning how to cope with that level of change. And, as the writer, I'm trying to learn to portray such a gut-wrenching adjustment. It's a difficult challenge.

How do you know you are really getting into the characters in your novel? When they start showing up in your dreams - in the context of the story or not!

There is a woman who affects the protagonist quite strongly, and she dropped into my dreams last night to let me know what she was up to. The last time I was writing about her, she was very ill. Well, it seems she has recovered, but there are some consequences to her illness that are disturbing. Life changing, even, and she wanted me to know about this. She is about to set off on a quest of her own, involving the protagonist of course, and now that she was kind enough to fill me in on the outlines in my dream, I'm all set to write about it.

Weird, though, you know? Still, if it works...I'm all for it.