I have started to develop this Israel story a little more. I like the idea and it has always been a story I want to write. What's funny is where I've been writing. I don't write at home. Two computers, an xbox 360 and my DVD collection ensure that will never happen.

I also can't write at work because I don't have any privacy. People always have to bother me with one thing or another. We have a very immobile job, but the Navy belief is that if you aren't moving then you aren't working. So it's hard to find a moment of peace at work to jot down my thoughts.

Still there is one place at work I can write and it is in that place where I've done most of my writing in the last few weeks: standing watch. Watch is just a simple part of Navy duty that involves standing in one usually visible place for several hours as part of the security of the ship. Some people stand watch and check the ID's of people trying to come on board. Some people stand watch looking for incoming ships or stand watch to make sure other sailors aren't going where they don't belong.

My watch is fairly uncomplicated and involves assigning escorts to any visitors coming on board the ship that don't have the proper access (like construction workers). So my watch is pretty dull and usually goes for 3 to 5 hours. Turns out this is the perfect time to write. I can write for several hours unimpeded. The only problem is that I have to write on paper. I hate doing that because when I get going my thoughts are moving faster than my fingers can go. Heck, that's one of the problems of writing this blog from my phone.

Anyway, it has worked out well for me and I even traded for a harder watch at one point so I'd have more time. I don't usually write the entire time as it can get tiring for me, but the longer the watch is the more I can get down before I give up.

So what have I written about? As I said, I have been developing this Israel story. For some reason I am finding it really difficult to write the stories I think I want to write. Most of my writings concern the broad histories of the more specific stories I "plan" to write. So, too, is the content of my most recent writings.

In the explanation of the metaphor I wanted this "Jew Planet" to have an old history with the "German Planet" where a charismatic leader from the latter spread into the galaxy with an intention to destroy the former. After a long and brutal struggle with the intervening Humanity Alliance the Germans fell and the Jews were almost wiped out.

So my most recent writings put the "modern time" of the story in perspective by describing this great war, which I have called "The Hunt." The leader's name is the Mule and he unites the warring Germanic tribes in an effort to take over the galaxy using illegal technology he has developed such as Pulse Fields that render complicated machines inert, sound-powered weapons that can operate in those fields, organic ships that generate pulse fields and thus make space battles impossible, biological weapons that specifically target certain races (like the Jews) the Mule considers inferior, and genetically engineered insects that feed on human blood and require the destruction of entire planets to keep them from spreading. The last was inspired by my recent flea problem.

All of these things, plus the playing out of events during The Hunt, will decide just how the story of the Israel planet develops. And thanks to plenty of watches I now have a very large history to draw from if I ever sit down to write the story. Hopefully that happens sooner rather than later.

I also have plans to incorporate current events (from the invasion of Lebanon and Gaza to the rise of Hezbollah in the Middle East) with my own twist on how they should play out (and never do).

Maybe I'll work on the actual story during my next watch.