Yesterday I spent looking forward to the weekend while working overtime to perform my weekly wrap-up and ensure a simple transition for Monday morning. Meanwhile, my characters are calling. They are demanding I devote my energy towards writing their stories, and I am both delighted and apprehensive, hoping that I don’t disappoint them.

In my spare time, I have organized character interview sheets complete with a battery of probing questions. I have roughed in timelines and scheduled both individual and group discussion sessions. They are going to squirm under my unrelenting exploration into their motivations, wounds, and their deepest desires. But I am determined to portray each of them as the colorful, fully formed people I see. I have set ambitious goals for the next two days, but I am excited to begin.

No matter the challenges and the obstacles blocking my way, I maintain the item at the top…