A New Day

The little dude is attending a Lego engineering class next door and while I thought it would be a good idea to be his “aide” like the one he had during his school year in case he’d be misunderstood by inexperienced summer instructors and get kicked out of the program, I wanted him to have his independence as well.

The instructor is an 8th-grade Biology teacher who teaches his classes using Legos – and now I’m definitely checking that out! Learning Photosynthesis via Legos? I’m game! But most of all, he knew how to address Little Dude’s issues by redirecting him when needed that there was no need for me to be in a classroom with eleven kids under 8 eager to play and learn with Legos (I did, too, but alas, I’m not the demographic).

And so I’m writing at the coffee shop next door. I brought my little notebooks with me but guess what? I had no pens with me at all so tomorrow I’ll make sure to have them in my purse, or maybe just bring my iPad and write in the same spot while I wait until the class is done in a couple of hours. Besides, the coffee here is good and they have free wi-fi 😘

So what am I writing next?

A prequel, that’s what. I’ve got one prequel that’s halfway done (Ashe, Gareth, and Isobel) but I’m tackling a new one that’s linked to the latest release. It was one of the things I wanted to write last month but I just couldn’t do it while another deadline hovered over me like a dark cloud.

But now that that deadline has come and gone, it’s time for me to have some fun. That means learning how to outline like a boss and not get stressed out about it. And then write that story and enjoy the ride again.

ETA: Well, he fell apart spectacularly when the exercises proved challenging for him, and so the rest of the week, I’ll be with him to help him redirect when he gets frustrated. But I’m grateful the instructor didn’t kick him out like the other people did at last year’s camp (another location that assured me they had the people who knew how to deal with special needs kids and so I paid for the full summer) only for me to find out later on that the kid he was accused of hitting had started it all but because the other kid was already a regular, he was given a pass and my little dude kicked out without even letting him eat his lunch. So that’s why I’m a dragon mama this year and every year thereafter. Kids really don’t have any defense at all when adults determine them to be of no use, hopeless or play the “it’s your kid’s word against mine” defense.