Organized

I'm not an organized person. I'd like to be organized. I aspire to it even. But, sadly, something is always more interesting than organizing. I try sometimes, but organization seems to be a living thing, sort of like tree roots. It can't exist in isolated locations independent of each other. For example, my sewing. Originally, I set the sewing up in the laundry room. Then I discovered I can't make myself sew down there. So I kept carting things up to the kitchen table. Now...its a mess. But, in order to really organize it, I'd have to organize my bedroom and the laundry room and possibly the den and kitchen. Because, see, the sewing mess could influence each of those areas.

My current WIP is sorta like that. I know, I know...I wasn't going to go to heavy into the whole "writer" thing on this blog. I'm not. But really, I've been thinking how my personality both helps and hinders me in my efforts. Okay, I have a feeling the disorganized thing only hinders. I have jealous fits about writers with detailed outlines and flow charts. I sometimes dream of plot arcs and subplots (Its! the! Subplots!) that are defined and well-thought out before I start writing.

I realized the other day that my WIP is missing a villain. A Villain.

I know.

Lest you think I'm an utter moron, let me clarify. There is a villain. The ultimate, supreme bad guy who is pulling strings and putting pieces in place. But, he isn't on-camera very often. And, in the beginning, my main characters don't know who he is. What I need is a villain who can be a stand-in. One guy who is the henchman, who can be the face of the ultimate villain, at least until you meet him. Right now its a group of dressed-in-black, ninja-like bad guys. But really, I need One.

I'm hoping this sounds like a bigger revision than it is. But I'm probably wrong. Besides that, I have to go back and make my characters react differently, subtly tweak relationships. Change pacing. You know, REVISE. And I'm not even DONE yet.

Perhaps this could've been avoided. I did have an outline. It wasn't detailed. I'm just not a detail-oriented person.

And, I find myself ruminating over a  thought, question, ponderable I've had a lot lately. How much can we change about ourselves? Is it ever really an excuse to say "I'm just not that kind of person" or is it just lazy?

Mysteries of the Universe

• How can you tell if blue cheese has gone bad?
• Where do those socks go in the dryer?
• How is it that Smarties are always the candy given away at checkstands? Did it win some kind of dime-candy lottery? And, how is it possible I, every once in awhile, like Smarties?
• How many weight-loss miracles are there? And why do we all still have a few more pounds to lose?
• At what point on the cleanliness spectrum is your house considered clean?
• Does it also have to be organized?

A few questions to ponder today. Enlighten me, if you can.