Just got back from Puerto Rico last night, and I’m feeling good. Liz and I had a fun trip, including attending a wedding on the edge of a rain forest–more on that later–so it was good just to get away for a few days and recharge.
On the writing side of things, my time away helped do for me what I had been hoping–kick in some story mojo. I’m deep into writing my next book–[i]Crossline[/i]–and there’s a big scene that takes place about two-thirds of the way in. It’s a crucial sequence toJust got back from Puerto Rico last night, and I’m feeling good. Liz and I had a fun trip, including attending a wedding on the edge of a rain forest–more on that later–so it was good just to get away for a few days and recharge.
On the writing side of things, my time away helped do for me what I had been hoping–kick in some story mojo. I’m deep into writing my next book–[i]Crossline[/i]–and there’s a big scene that takes place about two-thirds of the way in. It’s a crucial sequence to the overall story, so I really have to get it right. Thing is, I haven’t been exactly sure what the scene should be.
So … yeah … that’s kind of an important issue to resolve.
I’ve gotten the key characters where they need to be, and I’m very happy with the build-up. There’s tension and excitement, there’s a few twists, and, of course, there’s humor. But the pay-off. Yep. Gotta nail it.
What I’ve learned about myself over the years as a writer is to trust myself. When I start a project I rarely–no strike that, I don’t think I’ve ever done it–do I have the entire story figured out. I usually have a good idea of where I want to go, some of the central conflicts and themes, and some key scenes. The rest I figure out along the way. I trust in my writing process. I trust that, eventually, I’ll get where I need to be.
My time in Puerto Rico went a long way to that end. Just having the time away, free from distraction, gave me the time to think. Which is sorta ironic for me, as I figured out a major sequence while attending a wedding, with about 200 people, in the middle of a torrential rain storm. Funny how that can happen. Sometimes just getting out of my regular element is what I need to clear my mind and allows the ideas to flow. I’m not quite sure how or why it works, but pretty consistently, I’ve found that mixing it up a bit–in essence splashing some cold water on my face and refreshing myself–helps the writing mojo kick in.
I haven’t figured out the entire sequence yet–still working out some of the details–but I now have a major plot element figured out and I’m very close to tying up the loose the ends. Just a few more points and I think I’ll have it. Could be today, could be tomorrow, could be a week from now. Maybe a month. Who knows? But it doesn’t matter, because I’m close.
For me, at least, the writing process is mostly about rhythm, about repetition, just banging away at it day after day after day. But sometimes I need to step away, to physically get away from the keyboard and let my mind work, so that I can come back to the keyboard with fresh ideas and full of energy, and then clack away at the keys again.
This time around, a wedding near Puerto Rican rain forest restarted my writing mojo. I’m never quite sure when or where it will happen. I just trust that it will.
Post edited by: rcolchamiro, at: 2008/10/15 06:02
