I am relieved to report that I have made it through a whole session without significant Scrivener Breakdown. Huzzah! I have been able to transfer my notes and the ‘fairy-tale’ version of Scions of the Moon to the program, set up my note cards (33 including title page and “initial situation cards) and am nearly ready to start.

Oh what a dangerous game I play here. The Kevodran is like a brooding unhappy presence over my shoulder…and with good reason. I have relegated it to a smoky corner of my mental writing-pub where it glowers at me with baleful and jealous eyes as I sit at table with my new and younger drinking companions. Goddess, I pray “creep” does not occur and I can hold true to my plan to tuck Scions away at the end of the month and resume The Kevodran. I keep telling myself I can control this lushes siren’s’ song in my ear, that I am in command and can walk away from this dalliance no worse for wear, no harm done. I quite feel the cheat!

Propp’s narratemes, the pattern elements on which I plan to base my story, are proving to be a bit problematic as I try to force them into novella length manuscript shape. The unique Russian take on fairy tales, though the shadowy echo of a hero’s journey is there, will require some creative restructuring on my part. Note I did not say ingenious restructuring as I am neither a genius and may find, in the end, that to have tried to do so is a vain exercise. I have no doubt I will learn a thing or dozen in the process which is, in the final analysis, what all this hair-pulling and jumping about is for. I have not illusions that this manuscript will end up in another honored place under my bed…along with the others and The Kevodran eventually.

Sunwolfe chuckles: What an odd life, that of the writer.

Propp’s narratemes are discussed in a Wiki article that fairly represents them here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Propp

Originally posted in The Salamander’s Quill 1.0 now deleted.