I have a private board on Pinterest for my novel. I fill it with quotes that connect to the plot and photos that remind me of my characters. Clothes they may have worn, people they resemble, what their lives looked like. Right now the novel spans almost forty years of their lives. That's so much time and not enough at all, is it? These characters and this story have been living in my head for four years now. They are so real and vivid to me, almost consuming. Since then I have graduated college, survived a pandemic, gotten my first big girl job, quit that job to pursue writing, and so much more. These characters have been mine, all mine, through that — it's no wonder I allow myself to get distracted and stray from writing. I am scared to let them go. Sure my friends and writing group have seen glimpses of this novel, but no one except for me knows the scope, the final destination. I'm selfish and scared but that's not fair to myself or the story, is it?