Turf Wars

*Poof*  There went another month. How does that happen? Oh yeah...I had my head down in my WIP and the rest of the world just went dark. You know how it is with revisions.

I've been watching a little battle with revisions on my front porch as well. After a triple-decker stack of finch nests grew unwieldy (and kind of nasty), Ghost Hunk finally knocked them down off our porch post to clean out the area a bit. I felt a little guilty considering they had raised at least 20 chicks there, but we figured if they wanted to rebuild, those sweet little finches would rebuild. We had no idea, however, that two couples would be doing battle for the same ratty little poop-stained piece of real estate.

Yes, over the last week, I have watched one little pair of finches hoist load after load of grass and flotsam up to the top of that post, only to have someone or something knock it all down. By my most recent count, we've had 7 starts, give or take. (Kind of like my WIP!) At first I was inspired by what I thought was tenacity again the elements and it seemed a wonderful metaphor for what was happening in my writing. Every time the wind blew down the nest, those little birds just picked right up and started building again. It wasn't until the 3rd start or so that I realized there were darker forces at work than the wind.

A second pair of finches has apparently put in their bid for that property and they are none too happy that someone has started building on their claim. There is another empty nest at the opposite end of the porch (next to the driveway), but apparently the traffic pattern is too busy for a growing family's comfort.  Even in the bird world, it's location, location, location. Everybody wants the lot on the cul-de-sac!

So it looks as if I'll be watching this little turf war while I mull over the ever-changing landscape of my WIP. I've ripped out 6 chapters and added 2 new ones from scratch. I've reseeded and reshaped 5 more and hope to have this thing singing before the summer is gone (not likely, but I can dream). A few new characters have moved in and a couple have decided to stay. In those moments when I want to tear my hair out and bang my head against the keyboard, I'll just think of these little finches. They are building a world of their own out there on my porch post. A real world full of danger and territorial urges and new life. With a little luck, a clutch of tiny fuzz--heads will be ready to take their first flight about the time my precious WIP is ready to step out into the real world again.  Here's to the good fight!