I’m writing a fictional retelling of Descent of Inanna (an ancient  Mesopotamian myth) for my Storyville class with Richard Thomas.

Non-binary gala play a critical role in the story, but it’s primarily a power struggle between two ambitious sister-gods: Inanna the Queen of Heaven, and Ereshkigal, Queen of Death. 

My research was almost as much fun as writing the story!

I’m putting Captain Palaio’s Twilight Flight through another revision.

I’ve been incorporating the lessons I learned from the January Odyssey workshops into my own creative process. I took one of my stories, a “hydropunk” science fiction tale set in a futuristic New York City, and broke it down scene by scene.

I explored story theme (Forgiveness); key turning points (where the situation changes); scene polarity change (positive or negative situation); scene goals (what she wants); and emotional beats (what she's feeling).

The resulting story is, I believe, much more compelling and focused than previous versions.

I have two stories that explore the cultural ramifications of parthenogenesis. One on a dwindling alien race searching the galaxy for compatible DNA to revitalize their species (Captain Palaio’s Twilight Flight). The other follows the adventures of a cloned daughter who forges a path distinct from her ancestors--with surprising consequences.  None thus far on lesbian lizards.

Assuming the kitties will stop holding my writing notebook hostage and allow me to work . . .

March 1st, I’m attending Literary Citizenship by Jane Friedman at Craft Talks.

I’ve signed up for a Zoom workshop on March 8 entitled The Heart of Story.