lifelines to writing contentment

Painting my living room and dining/study has been surprisingly therapeutic. Ideas are beginning to trickle into awareness.

Finally.

I shouldn’t complain, of course, but these HTTS lessons — once I allow myself to settle into each — are encouraging other ideas so that now I’m split over what to focus on. I need to pick the first idea, work on the characters again, and come up with some fun and interesting nuggets that I believe in.

Which, if I think about it, is *exactly* what Holly was trying to teach in Lesson 7:  by ensuring the concepts that you love the most in life are in your story, then they can serve as anchors to writing contentment.

For those days when you want to chuck the computer out the window?

You know what I’m talkin’ about.

poetry in my head

It’s hard of course.

There are days when the words won’t flow, the ideas are stale, my body aches and even laundry is thrilling. But if I can make myself sit — if only for 15 minutes to lay down words that’ll be slashed during revision — because I’m loving, say, the way blades of grass flutter at the edge of a stream as it races toward the edge of a waterfall — then that’s something.

That poetry in my head connects me. It deserves my heart’s song. It has the power to tug me back to the story when I least want to be there, and maybe — if I’m especially lucky — can even reach across into another aspect of my day.

There’s nothing better than shutting down the computer and walking away, thoughts in a far off place and peace in my heart knowing that world will be waiting when I’m ready to return.

I long for that feeling again. I want a story and a world I feel comfortable in. I need characters that talk in my head — to anyone willing to listen — with problems of their own that slam up with others’ problems, causing a typhoon of trouble.

… Of course, the risk of causing a perfect storm may require a story evacuation and that’s not really what I want either… but, if I can at least get some tropical force winds going, what a ride!

After all, reconstruction is what revision is for, right?

Yes. My Mantra for the rest of the year.

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