Lolly the Lobster, or Why We Need a Little Silliness Right Now

by Shelley Burbank

I've been in Maine for a few weeks now, and it's filling me with such contentment. And by that I mean seafood. Lobster rolls. Fried clams. A nice fried haddock sandwich. (No chowdah yet, though. I might have to make some at home.)

Photo of the week & a life as a wacky football game

Here I am hanging out on the coast this week with my good friend Lolly the Lobster. Actually I have no idea what the lobster shack named this cutie-pie crustacean, but I can tell you this: we all need a little silliness right now. Going onto social media is like walking into the middle of a football game--linebackers coming at you everywhere, whistles blowing, nobody paying attention to the refs, cheaters jabbing of fingers into eyes when no one's looking then looking around all wide-eyed innocent and saying "who me?"

And then the big dude in the sky box declares the winner before the game is over and an all-out brawl breaks out on the field and fans start throwing stuff from the bleachers and NOBODY is having a good time. 

Can't someone call a national time out? 

Meanwhile, when I avoid the interwebs and the ever-present handheld computer otherwise known as a smart phone, life seems pretty grand. I've done everything I love to do in Maine besides the one thing I probably should be doing: writing. I've given up the idea of finishing and publishing the novella before November and am now thinking, "Why not get it out in time for the holiday shopping season?" Stay tuned. 

How not writing is actually writing. 

Today, actually, I was visited with an idea for a good exterior plot action scene for Olivia Lively book 3, the next novel in my limited 4-book series. This book is going to be a lot of fun to write, but it will also be tricky to figure out the interior story line. It has to be a transition-type personal journey to mirror the (very cool and I can't wait to tell you about it) mystery plot. I know where my character will end up, emotionally/personally at the end of the series, but this third book has to get her there. This is how I'm looking at it: 

• Over the course of books 1 and 2, Olivia matures regarding friendship and romance and her personal goals and seems to come to a stasis. But stasis doesn't propel novels, so
• In book 3, I need to give her some sort of personal challenge with a resolution that will prepare her for
• A final opportunity to mature in the final book which will lead to a major life change by the end of the series.

This problem is what happens when you start out writing a flash fiction that turns into a serialized novel that turns into a series you never planned to write. It's okay. Thinking through plot lines and character development IS writing. Plus we all need puzzles to keep our brains in shape, right? 

I also hear seafood is helpful for optimal brain function. 

Good thing I'm in Maine. Now where's my recipe for fish chowder?