Here in Oregon the snow is

1/9/08 -- Here in Oregon the snow is piling high in the Cascades, and the powder skiing is fantastic.  But I'm resisting temptation (in the form of numerous invites) to play hooky. Gotta keep my nose to the writing grindstone.

It's paying off. Good progress on STORM MOUNTAIN. Finally. I should be done with this draft by the end of January. A couple more rewrites after that to smooth out the rough spots.

Then I can reward myself with LOTS of skiing.

Sometimes that's what it takes -- dangle the carrot (or ski day) in front of yourself until the job is done. Literary vision and poetic gifts will only get you so far. In the end, I believe, it really comes down to hard work and discipline.