Chapter One was too important to leave alone, more information was needed, and some details needed to be removed. This chapter has gone from 3-4 pages to at least 7 or 8 and I'm still not finished. I have been working on chapter four as well and that chapter is going well. That will probably be the easiest chapter for me to write as this is the one chapter is actually "true" for me, it is based on my real experience of moving to Germany and then the decision to leave Germany three days after arriving. I have the journal in which I wrote nearly every detail at the time of the experience. It's definitely very helpful in writing this chapter. Though I also have hindsight now and am trying to not let that influence the emotions felt at that exact moment.

After this chapter, everything else turns fictional. All of the other characters are fictional from the beginning, though they are based on combinations of people I know. In the end, after all is written, no one should be able to recognize a character as themselves completely. I don't believe that any piece of fiction is completely, 100% fictional. Everything one writes is in some way, even if loosely, based on some knowledge of real people and events.

The heat wave passed last night, out with the wind, howling all through the night. It's still warmer than it is normally in January, just not the lovely 70 degrees that it has been for the last few days.

Soon, my physical therapy will be complete enough such that I will have to return to the working life. I hope to have as much written prior to this day to keep the momentum going. I will definitely miss the six weeks I've had to do everything that I actually love doing. I must find a way to make my "job" what I love. There was a time, back in the day of Hemmingway, in which writers raised funds so that other writers did not have to endure the live of corporate America. Hell, after the Depression the government had vast sums of endowments for artists and writers. This is not the case any more. Now, it is much harder to get our hands on endowments and grants. I have applied for one and should find out sometime next month. If that grant should come through, it's a year of traveling and writing and traveling and writing. What a dream! Keep your fingers crossed for me!!

Back to the novel.