This is K.M. Wyland.

This is K.M. Wyland and you're listening to the 82nd episode of the Wordplay

podcast.

Nothing derails good writing intentions faster than about of the stomach flu.

I can work my way through head colds, back aches, headaches, and exhaustion, but it's hard to make

myself sit at the computer and write when my cookies

are constantly threatening to be lost.

So between a day in bed all of the flu and a few days hosting out-of-town company, I haven't been able to do much writing this week.

That's the downside.

The upside is that a week away from the manuscript offers a new sense of objectivity.

It's hard to see anything clearly when it's right in front of your nose day in and day out.

But coming back to a project, after a week of barely even being able to think about it,

offers the decided perk of a new perspective.

Sometimes a new perspective offers the necessary evil of glaring plot holes

and other problems to be corrected.

But happily for me, my wakeaway brought back into focus just how stinking much I love this story.

It's going to need a lot of polish even after I finally wrap up the first draft.

But it's always a blessing to read over a chapter or two and a work in progress and then chuckle in the back of your throat because everything is falling into place the way you want it to.

It was a nice way to wrap up and otherwise bumpy weak.

Make your minor characters count.

The latest post in the video series on my blog puts the focus on the unsung heroes of fiction,

the minor characters, and how you can make them pop off your pages. You can watch

...