Under Control...or Not
Yesterday, for the first time in a year, I was caught up. Every item on the conference to-do list had been crossed off for the week. That’s not to say I’m ready or that there isn’t anything left to do. It just means that there isn’t anything else that needs to be finished THIS WEEK. I’m caught up on registrations. I’ve sent emails with questions to certain parties and am waiting for replies.
When stuff pops up, it doesn’t have to be shoved to the back burner while I focus on getting something else done first.
I admit it. I felt lost.
But not for long. Just because the conference is under control (or is “control” an illusion and a new, wicked disaster is lurking, about to fall on my head?) doesn’t mean the rest of my life is. There are still bills to pay, groceries to buy.
A book to write.
The book is making me gnash my teeth. I’m stuck. I know what happens next, but there seems to be a crevasse between the last scene and the next one…a period of time when things happen, but nothing that moves the plot forward. No clues to be slipped in unnoticed. No revealing character development. Which means one of two things. I need to either ADD one of those to this in-between transitional scene. Or I need to simply summarize the events that have passed in a paragraph and get on to the next big thing.
I really want to do the first. But it doesn’t seem to be working for me.
Ah, well. I’ll figure it out. I always do. Maybe one of my characters will whisper in my ear while I’m driving down the road and all will be made clear. I love when that happens.
On a cautiously optimistic note, that short story I wrote this winter (the 4,000 word one that drafted out at 9,000 words) made the first cut for the Guppies anthology. I’m not in yet. But I’m not out yet, either.
Celebrate small victories when you can get them.
When stuff pops up, it doesn’t have to be shoved to the back burner while I focus on getting something else done first.
I admit it. I felt lost.
But not for long. Just because the conference is under control (or is “control” an illusion and a new, wicked disaster is lurking, about to fall on my head?) doesn’t mean the rest of my life is. There are still bills to pay, groceries to buy.
A book to write.
The book is making me gnash my teeth. I’m stuck. I know what happens next, but there seems to be a crevasse between the last scene and the next one…a period of time when things happen, but nothing that moves the plot forward. No clues to be slipped in unnoticed. No revealing character development. Which means one of two things. I need to either ADD one of those to this in-between transitional scene. Or I need to simply summarize the events that have passed in a paragraph and get on to the next big thing.
I really want to do the first. But it doesn’t seem to be working for me.
Ah, well. I’ll figure it out. I always do. Maybe one of my characters will whisper in my ear while I’m driving down the road and all will be made clear. I love when that happens.
On a cautiously optimistic note, that short story I wrote this winter (the 4,000 word one that drafted out at 9,000 words) made the first cut for the Guppies anthology. I’m not in yet. But I’m not out yet, either.
Celebrate small victories when you can get them.
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Comments
Once in awhile I'll just put "Need something here" and highlight it in yellow. It doesn't usually take too long to figure out what that "something" is.
Congrats on making the cut! That and getting caught up on the conference tasks. I call both of them major victories!
Paula Matter
And, Paula, I'll have another chapter for you early next week.
Thanks!
Good luck with the scene. And I agree. Save it for later.