9/3/08 — Late this morning I realized that I needed a break from writing and went for a mountain bike ride. Huffing and puffing my way up the steep switchbacks on Bald Hill, a question occurred to me: Could some of the trouble I’ve been having with the main character in STORM MOUNTAIN be related to gender? In other words, what if my main character was a girl instead of a boy?
At the thought of such a change I braked so hard I almost fell off the trail into a patch of poison oak. Not because the thought was absurd, but because, deep down in my gut, I was so excited by the possibility. A quick turn around and fast dash home put me back in front of my Mac. Now, hours later, after reading the entire book and switching pronouns in my mind, I find that I may, in fact, be onto something. Time alone will tell . . .
