Saturday, June 9, 2007

Bloody Sudoku Moments

Yup, it's that time again, and early this time. The old Sudoku moment.

I'm a recent convert to Sudoku, but thoroughly hooked nonetheless. Like anyone with a gambling/drinking/reading problem, I'm in it for those moments of triumph, those dizzying heights to which my soul soars when the numbers all come together and I let loose my mighty cry, "SUDOKU!"

And yeah, that can be embarrassing on public transport.

But for every dizzying high, there are the lows. You look at the field of numbers and realize that three can't possibly go there. But that means the five over here wrong too. It's not as bad as losing the rent on a horse, selling your wedding ring in a bar for more drinks, or reading the next Dan Brown novel, but it sucks.

My characters are little jabbermouths right now. My hero's turned out to be smarter than I would've thought, and the villains and schemers around him are prety crafty themselves. They're driving things along just fine without my help.

So of course, I forced a situation, and wrote myself into a corner.

I'm out of that corner now, but it did involve unraveling three chapters and going back to the last time I was on track.

We're once again up and humming...

5 comments:

cs harris said...

Which I guess is why control freaks like me make outlines. Just once I'd like to try going with a story and enjoying the thrill of the ride (even when you're having trouble you make it sound fun), but I suspect I'd find it too traumatic. I don't like roller coasters either!

Susan Miller said...

I always thought I enjoyed Sudoku because it was a puzzle that had a solution and so many things in life seemed to not have solutions, but who knows.

Anyway, go Steve go! Or should I say, stay out of their way, Steve, stay out of their way!

Steve Malley said...

I think I was a bit unclear, there, Charles. The sudoku moment isn't the mighty triumph. It's that sinking, 'awww fuck' feeling, when you realize you're on the wrong track and have been for quite some time.

Lots of erasing, then...

Susan, I like em cause they force my brain to work in a different way. And thank you!

CS, I wish, I wish, I wish I could follow an outline. I've tried, I really have, but the characters refuse. And it'd better be fun. I could be making a living instead!

ORION said...

My name is Patricia Wood and I am a Sudokuholic...

Charles Gramlich said...

Ah, that makes sense. Like I said in my blog, my mind is still not all the way back from Cross Plains. Reading I can do. Comprehending the words is another story.