She is impossible to please. A stuffed rabbit, a music box, a bottle. Never right. I am a mass of indecision. As a result, far too few words are on paper. I’ve tossed out ideas, one after another, and I’m never happy with any of them. The baby has colic and I’m stuck walking the floors.
I suppose I put myself in this position. Or shall I say I put my protagonist, Helen Morrisey, in this position. With the idea of sending Helen out beyond her Chesapeake village at the end of Villain in the Vineyard, I’m now frozen in fear that my readers will miss all my secondary characters they enjoy. I can hear my fans now. “Where is Tammi? Where are Lizzi and Shawn? Where are our favorite shops?” I’m afraid I’ll disappoint them. As a result, I’m getting nowhere and my deadline is creeping closer and closer like the Chesapeake shoreline at high tide. No wonder I’m not sleeping.
The past year has caused so many personal disruptions. We’ve all experienced them. I need to return to a creative routine. Yet, I want to have time for family. I’ve put together a few bits of advice to replace my misgivings and procrastination with decisions and words. Hopefully, they will help you if you hit the same wall.
I attended his three one-hour zoom sessions last week. Tony had 62,000 people attending from around the world. Participation never dropped from the first minute to the last. “Beliefs create and beliefs destroy. Taking action makes fear go away.”
Kate Quinn, New York Times Bestselling Author, The Alice Network, The Rose Code “Give yourself permission to be bad. Silence that little voice in your head, the one that says… this is terrible, what am I doing, I can’t let anyone see this and just finish. Your first draft will be terrible, and that’s fine. Everyone’s first drafts are, mine included, and that’s fine! Just finish that first draft and fix it later.”
Lisa Scottoline, New York Times Bestselling Author, Edgar award-winner, author of 36 novels “How do you begin writing a new book? I pray, and then I start. Horrible first drafts are the secret to great writing.
Barbara Kingsolver, Pulitzer Prize winner “I write a lot of material that I know I’ll throw away. It’s just part of the process.”
E.L. Doctorow, three time winner National Book Critics Circle Award ‘Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights. You don’t have to see where you’re going, you don’t have to see your destination or everything you will pass along the way. You just have to see two or three feet ahead of you.”
Stephen Pressfield, author of the international bestseller The War of Art, ranked #3 Amazon in Creativity since 2012, Gates of Fire, The Legend of Bagger Vance “Remember our rule of thumb: The more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it.”
I’m tossing this baby into your hands. If you have ideas on how to blend a storyline between an original location with a new one, love to hear them. If you think Helen needs to stay in her original world, let me know. If you have suggestions about how you got back into a writing routine after disruptions, I’d love to hear them too.
All the best to my writing comrades,
Author, The Chesapeake Bay Mystery Series
PenCraft First Place Awards
IPPY Gold and Silver Medalist
Silver Falchion Int'l Award
Agatha Award Nominee
Good luck. Given some time has passed between books four and five, you can make that "excursion" away from home base into backstory with her safely at home. Tease out why it ended up being such a bad idea, or whatever. Good luck with getting words on the page.
ReplyDeleteI'm actually coming around to that idea so thank you for reinforcing it. I think I'm more comfortable. :)
DeleteI've thought about asking if others are interested in forming a Writers' Procrastination Club, but I haven't gotten around to it.
ReplyDeleteLOL
DeleteWhen you get around to it let me know!
DeleteIf your MC does move, give her buddies who are relatives of her good friends in her previous locale, or buddies who are part of a professional organization that the MC belongs to. Katherine Hall Page did it well when she moved Faith Fairchild to Maine for summer mysteries. She brought along her side kick, Pix, and in subsequent books, Pix's mother and other relatives.
ReplyDeleteI'll check out Faith's books as a lesson. Thanks!
DeleteI can wholeheartedly identify, Judy, and I'll pass along the advice I got: give yourself some grace. (Of course, I didn't have deadlines to hit, so there's that.) Regarding the change of setting, send her friends with her if possible. That's what I did in book 4 of my series. It was fun to see them all interacting in a new place.
ReplyDeleteLori, I'll check out your book 4. Ordering it now! Always love your storylines and characters.
DeleteHugs, our characters do the darndest things to us, but they’re usually your best resource. Talk to Helen. Does she want to expand her horizons? If she’s pushing back, she may have some reservations.
ReplyDeleteTell me about the Tony Robbins Zooms. I have always wanted to attend one of his seminars. He is over the top, but so motivating. Gotta love him.
Every so often Tony Robbins offers free sessions. They are amazing. Invigorating. I enjoy seeing so many people trying to fulfill new dreams. Can be health, creative, new careers. I'll send you a link.
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