"Writers Write" -- until they don't, or can't, for some reason. This is a re-post of the story I shared originally on fellow author Casi McLean's blog, as part of her "Authors Bare All" (ABA) series:
There are a lot of posts and articles about various
tricks and exercises which can be used to combat writer’s block, but this isn’t
one of them. It’s really more my
personal story of fighting my way back to writing after walking away from it
for a while.
A lot of authors are very prolific, turning out
several books a year, but I’m not one of them.
It usually takes me an average of a year’s time to write a full-length
manuscript. It takes a lot out of me,
too, even though I do derive pleasure from the process when things are going
smoothly. But, of course, writing, and
life, don’t always go smoothly.
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My new release and an event with
some literary stars were some of the
highlights of the summer of 2016! |
My fourth novel, Haunted Souls, came out the summer of
2016, and I spent a lot of time doing promotional events that summer—including
signing books with an author idol, Mary Higgins Clark! Then suddenly it was October, a popular month
for my combination of ghost mysteries and romance, and as usual, I
over-scheduled myself with both online events and author panels and talks. My writing, which had taken a back seat to a
new release over the summer, stalled out completely.
For me, once that happens, it can be a challenge to
get back. I had the idea, I had the
first few chapters, I had an outline, I’d done the research…but I couldn’t seem
to force myself to sit down and actually type words. So I decided I would participate inNaNoWriMo…not with the goal of actually finishing the novel, but with the goal
of getting the required word count in daily, which would equate to 50,000 words
in a month’s time. This has worked for
me before, and as I get on a roll, it gets easier. And so I began.
It was going great.
And then my Dad found the tumor, around Thanksgiving. My inspiration for word counts dwindled. I kept trying for a while, but by the time I
found myself thinking “just write 100 words today”, and still dreading it, I
decided enough was enough. I have fans
who are looking for my next book, and I’m eternally grateful for that and
loathe to disappoint them. But I’m also
not locked into any million-dollar contract that says I have to submit a book
at a certain time, either. So I closed
the Word document and threw myself into other things.
One of those things was going through the final part
of the college decision-making process with my older son…college visits, campus
tours, etc. Then there were also the
senior class events which became more frequent as the spring went on. I spoke with my Dad a lot, visited him in D.C
when I was able, and tried to hold it together.
He lost the battle in April, and then I set about helping plan a funeral
while grieving.
My older son graduated in June, and I was determined to
spend as much time with him, and the family, as I could the summer before he
left for college. Occasionally I thought
of my unfinished manuscript, but even looking at it seemed too overwhelming. Losing the only parent I had left, having a
son finish high school and prepare to leave home…it was an emotional roller
coaster and all I could do was hang on tight, savor the memories, and work on
making new ones.
After my son was successfully set up at his new home
away from home, I started thinking about writing again. I missed it.
My characters still wanted their story told. I had over 50,000 words done already. But I was scared. Could I even still write?
I told myself I’d just read it. One chapter a day, to get reacquainted with
the story. I liked what I had. And while I didn’t exactly “write” every day,
I did make changes, take notes, edit, etc., all the while letting the pieces of
the plot sink back in, along with the finer details. And when I got to that last sentence, right
in the middle of a scene, I just picked it back up. Slowly at first, but then I gained momentum.
So, I’m back at it, going strong, and I’m really
excited about that. And very relieved
that I haven’t “lost it”—I just needed time.
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Back at it!
Please share your story, fellow authors! |
