Rainbow Snippets*-- The Problems Writers Face

I've started the next section of Fangs for the Memories. The story picks up again in 2004, 35 years after Alex was saved by Artie. This book is an expansion of my short story for Working Stiffs. It told of the "reunion" of Alex/Aja and Rollie and takes place in an alternative 2020. (That's what happens when you write a story in 2019 for a 2020 publication!) So I'm trying to write their meet cute and the beginning of their relationship. And right now I wish I was a plotter instead of a pantser. I've got several ideas about the story's direction, but I can't decide which way to go. It would be so nice to have a writing friend, or two, to sit down and brainstorm with! I have this image of a coffee shop and steaming mugs. 

Maybe someday.

Nature-based example of how my story ideas are in my head!

So, as I said, it's 35 years later and Alex is trying to learn new skills. He may look 23 but he's approaching 60, and he's really feeling it. Told from his POV:

This was ridiculous. Fifty-seven years I’ve walked this Earth and I couldn’t follow simple instructions? Well, apparently not when it came to a blank Excel spreadsheet. Artie had more confidence in my ability than I did myself, if he was willing to throw away tuition money for computer classes I’d never pass. Because this was making absolutely no sense! 
        A quick glance around the room at the others who stayed after class confirmed what I already knew--I was the only one totally lost. They were all typing away, the spreadsheets on their screens full of colors and numbers. With a heavy sigh, I turned back to the textbook, hoping it would all suddenly reveal itself. I had a degree in business; I should be able to figure this out. And yeah, okay, maybe it was from the 1960s, but… Ugh!

“I just don’t get it,” I finally muttered, surrendering.

*Rainbow Snippets is a (Facebook) group for LGBTQ+ authors, readers, and bloggers who gather once a week to share snippets from a work of fiction–-a WIP or a finished work or even a book recommendation. If you're interested in following a diverse group of authors, check it out here.