As the blog’s name suggests, the action of the story is intensifying, becoming more complicated, leading to the final denouement. In this case it is also a metaphor for my life. I am working on the plot of my current chapter, both literally and figuratively. In a figurative sense, at seventy-five, I am creating this late-in-life chapter that combines retirement, contemplation, contentment, and a keen desire for adventure and learning. There is no manual for it, and it takes courage, patience, and chutzpah to pull it off while negotiating with time and nature.

In the literal sense, I am putting in place a mechanism to create a daily writing practice. I have an on-line Dutch language app that tracks the number of consecutive days I take a lesson. I get an e-mail every morning that tells me “You’re on fire! Continue your xxx-day stretch!” I am now at 227 days. This is my first day on The Plot Thickens.

To get me started, I am going to write about a trip my husband and I are taking to the Netherlands in May. I used to write travelogs as a way of staying in touch with the family while on business trips. There was always so much to report, taking a few minutes to write about the day was enjoyable. That should be the same way with the upcoming trip, easing me into a routine that I can transition to the REAL next chapter, the one in the fiction piece I have been researching and ruminating on for way too long. Time to get it out!

So, here goes. The first real post will follow, and thereafter I may automate a daily email to myself, saying that I am on fire and reminding me to continue my x-day streak!