Even though I can't be part of the hunger strike today--go, fasters!--I wonder if my recent sleep deprivation could count as a fasting of sorts. It would be nice to think it was happening for some higher purpose! Actually, this morning, I had a very fruitful lack of sleep--I sprung out of bed at 5am, after just a couple of hours of rest, my mind crackling with my novel-in-progress. I felt compelled to print out every section I've written so far and then tried to put them in some sort of order. Up until now, I've been writing random scenes as they come to me, trusting they will come together eventually, but not having a clear sense of the big picture. Today, I discovered that I have written more of the story than I had realized, and thatit has begun to take on a somewhat comprehensible shape. There is still plenty of room for surprise--my favorite part of the process--and I still have a lot of work ahead of me, but I'm pretty sure I know where I'm going with it now. So I suppose lack of sleep can be beneficial at times (although I doubt it is the answer to our world's ills. In fact, in the long run it will probably cause more harm than good. I hope to break this sleep fast soon--there are much better ways to be in solidarity with the hunger strike...)

Happy Independence Day, everyone!