Vacation
Ahhh, just what the writer in me needed. A break from blogging, reading blogs, and the internet in general. I had no idea how addicted I was until I was forced to go a week without it! I left on a Saturday afternoon. On Sunday, it was strange, not having my window into the world. I opted to catch a little CNN (thankfully, the resort had cable! Just no internet access!!) On Monday, I was anxious. By Tuesday morning I was frantic. No computer! No instant news! Who's emailed me? What am I missing?! And then something miraculous happened ... by Thursday, I felt released, unfettered, set free! The world was still turning despite the fact I didn't have instant access to my bank balance, wasn't abreast of Paris Hilton's antics and had no idea who Dionne was snarking.
I read four books (get to that later), went for walks, bike rides, beach combing, swimming and blowing bubbles with my kids. I'm now refreshed, rejuvinated and ready to create.
Books
I'm on a journey. I've gone back to reading romances - historical and category. I began my love of books with this genre many years ago (too many years ago), but somehow left them behind. I've been stuck in artsy and literary stuff that is unquestionably good, but takes up a lot of my brain power. I've always said that I can't read and write at the same time (better put: I can't write fiction while in the middle of a good book - I spend all spare time with nose between pages!) but I've found that the 'fluffier' stuff - and I mean absolutely NO DISRESECT to any author of said 'fluffy stuff' - allows me to read AND write. And here's the kicker: I want to write the 'fluffy stuff'. Yes - I aim to be a category romance writer! Oh, who wouldn't want to write like Margaret Atwood or Truman Capote. What writer would turn down a spot on the NY Times list? But that's just not me... I'm writing (and have been writing) shorts in order to learn the craft of storytelling. To learn how to pace, to dialogue, to structure. Next step, a category romance. Who knows, if I ever learn my craft well enough, maybe I will strive to write the next 'Blind Assassin' or 'Angle of Repose'. But quite honestly, I'm not talented enough to write the kind of books I love to read. Does that make sense? In the meantime, I'm thoroughly enjoying getting back to roots with Harlequin Blazes and my Avon historicals. I'm having the cake and eating it, too!
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2 comments:
Hi, Wylie! Isn't it a wonderful feeling to kick writer's block in the butt?
I find when I finish a project I go through a thoroughly icky period of feeling at loose ends. This time, though, I hope to keep that at bay by putting my novel-in-progress in a drawer to "season" it while I jump straight into my next project. Then while I'm (hopefully) full speed ahead on my next project, I'll give the novel a last read-through and embark on the querying road.
No writing "downtime!" WOO HOO!
Great suggestion! I, too, find I'm a bit lost when I complete a project. Same feelings hit when I've finished a REALLY GOOD novel with excellent characters. They become so real to me, I feel sad when I can't be with them any longer.
(Bring this girl a straight jacket) ;D
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