Thursday, October 30, 2014

Not in Doldrums Anymore

I didn't think I would do National Novel Writing Month again this year. I still haven't finished the one I started last year. I asked myself, "Did I want to put that on myself, again? The word counts. The running out of steam halfway through, not knowing where to take the story and floundering. Finding something else I want to write, while the plot simmers behind the other pots?" The answer waited.
Then those tricky e-mails come from NaNoWriMo. Oh, and the Municipal Liaison invites my region to a write-in. I can't make it, but at least she is having one this year. The excitement builds as I read the other regions' news and meet authors on line.
And best of all, the idea, a juicy plot and the title rush on the horizon. I can't ignore it. I need more motivation. I'm almost finished with Last Free Exit. But then a new character slips into the book. Oh, Andi, what am I going to do with you and Derek? I'm over eighty one thousand words and I haven't even gotten to the trial. LFE feels like a hot mess at times.
I could finish it before October ends, I thought. Then the funk fogs my thinking. I troll on Facebook when I should write. Late into the night I feel the pictures roll over my eyes when I should turn it off and go to sleep. I average four to five hours, so if I fall asleep early for afternoon turn, I wake too early for afternoon turn. Then I allow myself to sleep some more.
Saturday, I met with other local authors at the Local Author Book signing. Although, I had already made up my mind to attempt NaNoWriMo this year, the desire confirms. One author has been doing it for ten years. She can't stop now. She writes her shorter novels during November.
So Outside of Time announces her conception. I see a Summer Series. These November novels form in the cool nights of summer with the crickets and train whistles. Mysterious magical muses nudge me to write. And I'll remember summer in the beginning of dismal days.
Actually, I love November in many ways. It is the thankful month. The sun can shine warmly, surprising us. Or the snow can fall heavily which brings the child out in me. And the writing community urges me on.
I also took on a writing job yesterday. I will submit historical articles for the local The Way It Was, a  free paper. My first one will be in January. This came about as I talked to Eric Bombeck about being on his radio show, as I described my novels. I will talk about Main Street and Summer Triangle on WPIC, 790 AM, www.790wpic.com November 12 at 5:30PM.
I have a voice for stories about my Aunt June to share with her daughter. I had written them years ago. My computer crashed, losing those ones. They felt stiff to me, then. Carol contacted me about remembrances of her mom a week ago. Monday morning, the voice for the stories, of how to write them, revealed itself.
Firefly Heaven- Matt Pollock

Another interesting thing that happened this week, seventy two French people read my post on The Newel Post. http://missmolliesmusings.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-newel-post.html I have no idea why that popped up in France. This though bumped my page views up quite a bit.
Now, I ponder should I ride the wave of over one hundred page views and keep posting on the blog, even though I have these other projects. What is the formula? If I have learned anything in this journey so far, there is no formula. I follow my inner voice, that independent stubbornness hidden deep inside me. I'll read and learn, but I find I have to do what works in my life. I can't do it any other way. I follow the leading I discern from God after much prayer.
I thank you for coming on the ride with me. I thank you for the prayers and support. I still think I'm on that raft, waiting for the wave right behind me. I'm not in the doldrums any more.

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