Sometimes a writer just has to take a break. And I did over
the Christmas holidays. Sort of. Life has been a whirlwind since the release of
Bikers and Pearls with all the
promotions and blog tours. And then I had another book due right after the big
push for Bikers and Pearls, so I also
had to work on that. In the middle of it all, my readers wanted to hear more
about two of the secondary characters in Bikers
and Pearls, so, of course, I’m going to make my readers happy, so I started
writing Jenna’s and Hogan’s story. What fun that has been.
I worked on it until the week before Christmas and then realized
I’d fallen behind in the “life” stuff, so I closed my laptop and started doing
the Christmas thing, baking cookies and treats, wrapping gifts, decorating,
going to parties and visiting friends and family. You know, Christmas stuff.
Every night, however, when the whole house was quiet, and
nothing was stirring, not even a mouse, I hopped into the heads of my
characters and plotted what they were going to do and say when I opened up that
file on the new Summerbrook novel. I came up with some really great ideas and
plot points and hoped I wouldn’t lose them in the interim before I started
writing again. I was worried.
This morning my worries were alleviated. I opened up that
file I had not touched since the week before Christmas, read the previous whole
chapter where I’d left off, and started typing. And you know what? It was all
there. All the voices, thoughts, and actions I had imagined for my characters
were still there, waiting to be typed.
The break had invigorated me, given me time to choose the
correct moves and plot twists for my new book. And I had had sufficient time to
think about those things, so there was no concern or trepidation about writing
myself into a corner. The book was plotted and finished in that break. All I
have to do now is get it on paper (or really, on my computer screen). This
morning when I opened the file, the words came faster than I could hardly type.
I went from a writing break to writing at breakneck speeds!
So, for you writers out there, if deadlines allow, you can
take a short break with little or no consequences if you keep actively making
decisions about your plot and characters during the break. And for you readers,
I cannot wait for you to read about the laughs and perils that await Jenna and
Hogan!
I hope you all had a marvelous Christmas break! Now, let’s
get back to what we love—stories that inspire and entertain!
No comments:
Post a Comment