The Shiny

Hell. Of. A. Day.

As evidenced by no linkee-poo. Today was a world of suck all mashed into 9.5 hours of work, with a 5 minute break to shove food down my maw. It was supposed to be a half hour, but then the phone started to ring. And then people went into voice mail because they were stacking up like planes over Newark. Not to mention that everybody likes to believe that once I'm working on their project, I'm their dedicated resource. Yeah, like I could work like that. Oh, and did I mention the roiling power structures that are changing my reporting status, but not really, but really.

However, the library called saying my hold was in. That was a shock. When I checked last Wednesday, I was fourth in line (the audiobook of The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg).

And then, as it often does, lightning struck from the clear, blue library-sky. Out of nowhere came a book title. And I could have sworn I had read it before. It's the kind of title that you would think, "I've seen that. It was good." So I did a quick search on the library catalog. Not there. Okay, well, while the Geauga County Library system has an excellent selection of genre titles (go Geauga County Librarians, I love you all, just wanted to say that), it's not complete. Like I said, I could have sworn I had read it before. Even if it was a short story.

And then I started to think, "Well, what would that story be about?" A retro, future history, semi-autobiographical weird tales memoir with magical realism thrown in for good measure. How's that? As a child of the 80s, it'll be set in the 80s. In fact, I'm pretty sure I know the world the story happens in. First I'll have to get permission from many of my friends. Not that I would put them in fully, but many parts of them will show up.

While there would be several parts of the world that are "true" (note, check use of actual places, events, and cultural happenings), much of it would be fantasy, based around a science premise. I have some of the internal conflicts, but not a major conflict (but I feel it there, the way you know the lake monsters are just out of sight in the murky waters you're swimming in).

Okay, it might be that it's the new shiny, but I feel it's what wants to be written. So, who knows. But I have to say, working through the world and it's parts brightened the otherwise crappy day. It's like that quote from Neil Gaiman.