Ugh. Taking down the NaNo banner and deleting the EWG progress bars felt a lot like taking down decorations/cleaning up after a particularly awesome party. The cold, unflinching light of day is upon us and I’m squinting…

Congratulations to everyone who participated & met/exceeded their goals: Barb, C-Anne, Jacquie, Hal, Howard, Laini, Simon, and Me. There’s more, but I just have to wait for everyone to check in.

And now the question, of course, becomes: now what?

Well, here are my suggestion: Leave the book alone–it’s like taking a pie from the oven. It’s hot and likely to burn. Go do something for the next month & let it cool down…

Which is a great suggestion, but leaves 31 (or at least 23) days open.

You could always write another novel, but that (to me) feels like trying to drive to Ontario on a 1/2 tank of gas.

I’m going to refill my tank & tune-up my…uh…whatever it is you tune in cars (you know, while the pie cools–wonder how many more metaphors I can shove in this post?). Anyway, I ‘m going to re-read some of my favorite books (and I’m on the search for new authors. My only requirement: MUST HAVE a happy ending…and no cruelty to animals (cruelty to humans, however, is completely acceptable…). And I’m going to watch a lot of movies and TV.

In short, I’m going to relax & call it research.