Saturday, April 25, 2009

Characters taking charge

Well, in the midst of changing a relatively minor detail in the second scene of my book, that crazy wonderful moment of "I'm not writing anymore, it's the characters possessing my fingers" happened and then I realized, "Oh wow, is this gonna change a thing or two."

So good news. The best news. But a lot of new work.

And I'm trying to finish by the 1st. Here's my grocery list since I'm about to become a shut-in:

1. Energy drinks, lots and lots of them
2. Vegetables and fruit
3. Some chocolate

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Something I've wanted to post for a little while. From Nick's email newsletter, something that spoke to me about what I'm going through right now:

"Then, last night, my heart started trying to crawl out of my chest. This would be a signal that something is wrong. I’ve missed an important detail. And, of course, I know what this detail is.

I’m not writing.

....But it has been too long already. I am far past the point where it is okay for me to not be writing. I am not working, and I can feel my blood gathering for a mutiny.

There has to come a point where I stop making excuses for myself, for why I'm not writing, and realize that my time is finite and, sooner or later, I'm going to get cut down by something I cannot understand, and until then I have this thing called time, and I don't know how much of it I have, only that it will run out, and the only sin I won't be forgiven for is not using it while it sat in my hands. Because I was lazy. Because I was ignorant. Because I was afraid.

I started five poems last night. I also worked on my book for the first time in two months. Pretty much everything I wrote was crap, but it’s a start. Just get the engine running. The detritus will clear itself out eventually.

And tonight, I write this. You’ll probably read it tomorrow. Funny how that works."

3 comments:

Mary said...

I hate it when that happens! I lost TWO MONTHS last summer on book #2 when my narrator did that. SO ANNOYING! ;)

Can't wait to get together with you and Susan this summer in Baton Rouge! Let's make it happen!

jamey said...

Water. You can't live off energy drinks & coffee alone.

Emilie said...

@Mary: Quick recovery this time and I'm so grateful. It was a particularly troublesome character that I finally heard. Can just see him rolling his eyes going, "It's not like I haven't been trying to talk to you."

Let's do the get-together in June. See latest post. LOL.

@Jamey: Oh yes, H2O. Need that. Am adding it to the list as we speak. Rock Star hasn't come through yet with the free emergency product supply, but there's always Cheers and their coffee. Lots and lots of coffee...