In the in between moments …

[Sorry. On reread, this is a bit of a ramble but I’m posting anyway!]

One of the most difficult aspects of creating for me to wrap my head around (STILL!) is that a lot of what makes a book really good – really juicy, or really buttery, or rich, or whatever your preferred descriptor – filters into my brain in the rare quiet moments.

For the last few years, I’ve either been in too much pain to think clearly or I’m frantically filling every slightly less painful moment with a desperate drive to get new words on the page, or edit those words, or market/advertise my books, or all the other admin duties that come with running my own (solo-writer) publishing house. With a few hobbies like reading, or knitting, or Pilates mixed in, of course.

All that combined allows me exceedingly little ‘quiet time’. Sometimes inspiration filters in during a shower (if I’m not just racing through it) or blow drying my hair (ditto). A road trip is great for my creative muse, but we only manage one that lasts for more than a half day every eight years or so. I suck at mediation (plus you’re supposed to empty your mind anyway) or ‘remembering’ to be mindful while chopping carrots (etc). And the days of being able to spend an afternoon baking, or just listening to music, with a notebook nearby seem long, long gone.

That’s not at all true, of course. But both the days when I chose to continually push through until I’m exhausted, and the days when I just can’t make anything happen, make it seem as if I’ll never have the luxury of just wallowing in story or in a new universe again. 

But not today.

Today, instead of just jotting one of those filtered-through-rich-with-potential ideas in an ongoing note on my phone, I actually dug out a couple of lightly used notebooks – look at me being a good little writer and reusing instead of buying new – and I indulged for an hour or so in setting up the new universe that I’ve decided will be my next (new) series. Seven interconnect duologys. Siblings. Superheroes. Urban fantasy (occasionally in space). With kissing, of course and always.

I haven’t allowed myself to spend too much ‘brain’ time in this new world because I have Conduit 4 and Archivist 3 to write first. I don’t want a new ‘shiny’ to distract me. But I got my daily new words written, and right before lunch an idea for one of the seven duologys flitted to mind … so I let it.

The ‘new’ notebooks will go back in the cupboard, but when hints of scenes, or an interesting bit of characterization, or an expansion of the plot (I already know the main plot for many of the books), I’ve promise myself that I’ll put pen to paper and just indulge. Just a little.

It feels like freedom.

And I might have to examine that a little more.

Obviously, I want to complete the stories already in my head, and I’m not certain that alternating series is working for me like it used to … but I do need to figure out a way to step away from the ‘business of selling books’ so that the ‘creation of those books’, and specifically writing the first draft, isn’t such a chore (some days). If you’ve hung with me for anytime, you know how much I (STILL!) loath writing a first draft. No matter how many books (or screenplays) I’ve written, forcing the words out of my brain and onto the page is a freaking pain!

Thankfully I adore the second and third drafts!

Anyway! I have my monthly Zoom chat with Hailey this afternoon (fun! fun!) so I best get this rambling missive proofread and posted.

---

What else am I doing, other than writing Conduit 4, this week? Let’s see …

Reading: I’m (re)listening to the Mercy Thompson Series this week (while knitting or doing crossword puzzles), about to start book 5, Silver Borne. But Hailey’s newest surprise release, The Doll Squad, magically appeared on my kindle app yesterday, along with Jasmine Mas’s The Emperor’s Enemy today and I’m very much looking forward to both!!

*Amazon DOT com links just to make it easy on me, but simply replace the .COM with your own country code. 💗

Watching: we’re trying to savour the second season of The Gentlemen (Netflix) – I freaking adore the dialogue. As well as Ted Lasso, season 4. Michael just finished the latest season of Silo and is totally raving about it.

Knitting: I need to pull out the ribbed collar on my current cable knit sweater (vest?) project (chocolate brown cashmere, squee!). Again. It’s just too wide. I’m going to try throwing in a few decreases at the shoulders but not so many it won’t fit over my head. 😬 I’m also (mindlessly) working on the second sock of a self-striping pair for Michael (with my always-a-favourite Gauge Dye Works yarn).

What are you all up to for the final week of summer? And reading?