The long, not so hot days of a Portland summer are gone. This fall day seems to be a repeat of those summer days - cool, damp and gloomy.

Perfect writing weather.

And since City League tennis season has arrived in all its indoor court glory, it's perfect tennis weather too.

It's a bit of a dance figuring out the team line ups and just where you fit as a player. And then there's the whole figuring out your opponents. What are their strengths, their weakness? How can you minimize your weaknesses and maximize your strengths as a team? And the million dollar question?

How can your own weaknesses actually play out to be strengths?

Funny - that's exactly the issue I'm dealing with in my novel draft. My main character is gloriously flawed - hopefully, likable, but flawed just the same.

My tennis coach is extremely fond of pointing out how I tend to change the direction of the ball, whether it's warranted or not. And it's true, I totally do that. It's not always the best course of action, but you know - it DOES work sometimes.

My writing seems to to go the same way and my main characters follow my zig-zagging path. As in tennis, sometimes things work in my writing (BAM! A passing shot down the line) and sometimes it doesn't (BAM! I catch a ball straight in the solar plexus).

But that's how life works. You give something a shot and it works or it doesn't. You might evolve to stick with the sure things or just wait for those extraordinary winner moments, because they feel oh, so good.

It's all about choices.

I'm going with the long shots. I may not win the lottery, but I may end up with a couple of points for my team and a more interesting main character for my writing project.

Here's to daring to fail.