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Monday, June 25, 2012

A Writer Refreshed

Hello again!

I don't think I've ever NEEDED a vacation as much as I needed this one.

Thing is, I wasn't really aware of the refreshment process as it was going on.  I was actually worried that I wasn't getting refreshed.  Kept checking and re-checking to see if I, yanno, felt like writing.  Because SURELY that's the refreshment litmus test for a writer, right?

No, I didn't feel like writing.  But I did have a sort of beach revelation (the ocean does things like that).  More on that in a bit.

This vacation, like all vacations, was peppered with Extra Happy Moments.  And the first of these was meeting up with
Jodi Meadows.

Yes, this is Jodi with Holly the Yorkie on her head.  (What?  You don't know about Holly?  Ask Holly Bodger, who is immeasurably thankful to have a stuffed dog as her namesake.)

So Jodi and I had pizza and lots of chat, and then she came back with us to Mr. A's relatives' home, where we had Even More chat (but not more pizza, since the take-home box was in Jodi's car).  And I was reminded all over again of the magic of the Internet in bringing kindred spirits together.

It's both ironic and fitting that Jodi and I met on Twitter.  My first words to her were something like, "Hey, you rejected me twice!" Her response?  "This is a tough crowd!"  The rest is quintessential history.

One of these fine days, I will be able to post a REAL picture of the two of us.  But for now, we've got a Jodi-hugging-a-ghost picture.  (Cool superpower, that.  Can you morph yourself into a non-corporeal blob?)


As for the beach revelation?  In part, it's thanks to you.  Remember a few weeks ago when I asked you whether you wrote for your heart or for the market?  The overwhelming response was HEART.  So I was all, "Hmm!" and didn't, perhaps, mull it over the way I should have.

Then, with the ocean in my ears and lungs and soul, it struck me.  I'd set aside a project about which I was passionate.  My reason?  The market!  In thinking ahead and always trying to plan for what's next, I'd convinced myself that the story I was revising needed to be retired.

My goal, of course, was to come up with something sparkly and new.  And...marketable.  Yeah, that's the way the creative brain works, right?  Force it to spit out something within certain parameters--and within a certain time frame.  (That's what I was doing.  Seriously.)

The truth swelled with the surf, and I realized that I need to return to the story and finish the revisions.  Then, I think, my spirit will be satisfied and I can move on to the next thing.  (Which will probably bubble to the surface on its own, right in the middle of the revisions.)  Of course, my immediate response was to attempt to begin immediately.  So I curled up with Beatrice in a wee sandwich shop and opened Scrivener.

And remembered that I'd left all my revision notes at home.  Because, um, I was supposed to be on vacation.

It was fine.  Because I really didn't feel like writing, anyway.  I shut my laptop and went merrily along my way, trusting that I'd be ready to dig in when I got home.

I was right!  I'm ready.  And I'm starting today.  So THANK YOU for your collective wisdom (and honesty).  And thank you for being here upon my return.  It's like coming home to a huge, extended family.  Without the dysfunctional part. *grin*


And, yes.  I want to live here.  The ocean is the one thing that's missing from my life, and I'm not sure why we don't live near it.  I'm at my best when there's sand between my toes.

So...how are you?  Give me all your good news and happy thoughts and met goals!  I've already gotten wind of some good stuff that happened while I was away.  Bring it on!

15 comments:

  1. I'm glad you're all refreshed now! I've had a similar experience with one of my projects so I know what that's like. I'm glad you got past the doubts and feel ready to work on it again.

    PS--The Yorkie plushie is so adorable! :)

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  2. Welcome back! It sounds like vacation was exactly what you needed.

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  3. Welcome back! While you were gone, I thought up a premise to work on while on vaca in Scotland. Yay!

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  4. It's a hard truth, because many of us writers are workhorses--but it is natural and necessary for the creative soil/soul to have a fallow period.

    You've done what you promised and had a real vacation. And yes, the ocean is wonderful.

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  5. There's just something special about the ocean. I live close to it but my most relaxing times come when visiting a special place on the Oregon Coast. I get recharged and revitalized, and its just so peaceful.

    I also have a story - though nonfiction - that I'd considered discarding briefly for "marketability" purposes, but its a story that must be written. I think I can learn a lot just by digging down deep, bleeding on the paper and telling that story. Sometimes you just need to do it and if you end up filing the story away, so be it.

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  6. Yay! Glad to see you back and that you had a great time!

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  7. Love the puppy! He looks very real sitting there on the sand, not so much on Jodi's head. :)

    Welcome back!

    I love the beach and we are heading there on Saturday! Yeah!

    I've been pretty productive lately and my goal is to finish the first draft of my MG ms by the end of June. Holy crap - that's in six days! See ya!

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  8. As the saying (and book title) goes: "Do what you love, the money will follow."

    However, I can't seem to find anyone willing to shell out the big bucks so I can sit on my bum and watch "Get Smart" reruns.

    So glad you had a great time, and so glad you're back!

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  9. Sigh.... That vacation sounds amazing! But, YES, you're back! So happy to see that :)

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  10. Authoress, what happens if your agent tells you the book isn't marketable? Do you work on it as well as a "marketable" book, and hope your agent changes his mind once he sees the (brilliant) finished manuscript? Do you work on it anyway and just hang onto it, willing to write it and get it out of your system even if it never sees the light of day? Would you break up with your agent and find a new one who thinks it is marketable?

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  11. Beth -- excellent questions!

    I struggled with this for a while, until the clarity came. Josh and I are a team, so being on the same page is important. He supports my current project, but he's also realistic about it. He knows I'm willing to shelve it (after I've revised it) until the timing is right. Obviously it's not the number one thing on our plate right now, anyway. But no, I wouldn't break up with Josh over a single manuscript. I know what he's telling me about the market is dead on: dystopian is a VERY hard sell right now. That's just the truth. And also makes me glad that my current manuscript on sub is NOT dystopian. :)

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  12. Yay! You're back! I've missed you and all your wonderfulness! So glad you are revived and refreshed. Best of luck for your new project. :)

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  13. Your answers are reassuring, Authoress. I just "landed" an agent (what a weird verb - was she soaring and I pulled her down?) on the basis of one manuscript, but I've been scared to divulge the details of my latest WIP, which is so very different. Your thoughts give me courage. :)

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  14. I always liked her but now I think I am in love with DJ

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