Happy Sunday! Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at ReaderBuzz. Check out her post and the links to see what other bloggers have been up to in the last week.

How’s the weather?

Varied. We’ve had sun and rain. Warm and cool. Our leaves are down, except for the oaks that hold on to theirs for much of the winter.

What are you reading?

I took a break from reading Her Lost Words by Stephanie Marie Thornton to catch up on J.D. Robb’s ...In Death series. I wanted something that didn’t take any brain power and was completely absorbing. Random in Death definitely hit that spot. Passions in Death has been somewhat less compelling, so far. It will probably pick up soon. If it doesn’t, I’ll get back to this historical novel about Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley.

What are you watching?

After enjoying the first season of Wolf Hall, we decided to try The Tudors.  That covers some of the same history, but with different perspectives. I enjoy seeing how they tell the same stories but with a distinctive slant. It’s a good reminder that historical facts only get us so far. We’re always going to want to turn history into story and each storyteller will do that differently.

What are you doing?

I haven’t mentioned my writing, recently. I finished my first draft in August. Since then, I’ve been working out all the things to think about before the next draft. Do I need all of these characters? How can I make the relationships more complicated in ways that make the story more compelling? How can I build the tension throughout the novel?

Of course, there are no right answers to those questions. Which means that I could keep brainstorming and experimenting forever. I hope to commit to a new outline before Christmas so that I can write a solid second draft in early 2025.

What are you up to this fine Sunday?