Creative Nothing

I dream of a house without siding.  I hate siding.  I hate it so much.

Anyway, I haven't been writing lately and I think I may explode as a result.  I'm debating the merits of daily writing exercises.  Back when I was in school and I HAD to write, I produced more stuff.  99% of it was crap, but the stuff I sifted out of it wasn't so bad.  Maybe if I throw myself into my work, I'll actually get something done.  If only video games weren't so distracting.

Been working on a fantasy novel idea for some time now, and it may or may not inspire a future tattoo.  I need to start getting a better grip on the main characters.  I feel like I have a good grip on one lady but not the other.  The title and vague overview of the story is something I've been kicking around for years, but the details have slowly evolved, adapting themselves to my ever-changing perspective.  In its current projection, I wonder if I'd dare to put my real name to it.  Maybe none of my relatives would notice.  Well, maybe Jeff would.  He reads most of the same stuff I do.  Hrrrmmmm....

I'm still trying to figure out how the two mains meet.  I know the origins of the first woman, and the underlying conflict between herself and the main male antagonist, but I'm trying to focus on what the central conflict is going to be.  The first woman's freedom means the freedom of an entire people, I think, but how to mold it and make the relationship between the two women pertinent... The relationship between the male antagonist and the first female protagonist is the foundation of the whole story, so that's easy.  I've been working out some of the fun cultural ephemera; the fun part of a fantasy novel is creating a setting in which the story unfolds.  All I can mysteriously say is amber (the stone) will play a very, very important part of the climax.