The book has crossed the 80,000 word mark and is moving toward the end. Which means, rather than being created or complicated, situations are being resolved. I know who is behind most of the challenges Yamada has faced in this book. He’s about to find out, too, as matters move toward final settlements and crimes/sins accounted. There’s one scene I’m especially looking forward to writing. It won’t be a long one, by my estimate. Just a few pages, and I pretty much know how I’m going to write it and what happens and what it will mean to Yamada. I could have written it already, frankly, but I’ve held off, because it will be my reward for completing the book, even though part of me doesn’t want to write “The End.” A major story arc is being closed, and when it is done, I’m not sure what will be left. Perhaps nothing. We will see.

Something is happening that does happen now and again when I’m at this point in a story—I start to dream about it. Night before last and last night I was dreaming about possible events in the book, as if my subconscious was trying to suggest new avenues to explore. I considered them all, but realized they were all burdened with dream logic, which doesn’t really make sense to anyone outside the frame of reference of that dream. So they are no go. Except possibly for an image that I may use. I haven’t decided yet.

Once that dream was over, next I was surprised to find myself dreaming about Gwyneth Paltrow, and no, not that kind of dream. Her career was in danger, she was about to star in a new film, and she needed me to tweet the news. Why? Beats hell out of me. Apparently it was crucial, as she was almost literally begging me to make the tweet. And all I had was my phone and the tiny virtual keyboard, and I was messing up the hashtags and having all sorts of problems and her insistence wasn’t helping. I hit <Send> and the next thing I know she’s on some big talk show pimping the film, which is apparently of Oscar contention quality, so apparently I did okay.

The film? The story of a Marshall Tucker cover band.

Yeah.

That’s the thing about dreams. We all have them. We all need them. But they are not the most reliable things in the world. Take what you can from them. Learn what you can. Do not expect them to make too much sense. That is not their job.