Okay, its ccc-old out there! Wild winds are pushing around snow that is supposed to get above a foot! Yippee! That’s what most of my friends are saying. Why? Well because we are New Englanders and that is what we look forward to. I am sitting here in my fluffy jammies with fingerless gloves typing on my laptop in my bed under the covers. The wind is howling so loud outside it is making my windows whistle. All this ambiance and I am having trouble getting words down on the page for my novel. Ugggghhh. Of course that doesn’t mean I am going to give up. After I read a few children’s author blogs I’ll get going – it always seems to get me going.
Next Thursday my writer’s group officially meets! I am very excited to hand a couple of chapters over to my peers for critique. It has been a long haul alone and I am eager to have some fresh eyes look into the world I have been working so hard to create. On another note I have found a GREAT book that every author should own. It’s called Guerrilla Marketing for Writers. It is full of tips (100 exactly) for authors to utilize to market their books. Most of these are free or lost cost ways to gain publicity for your work. I encourage all of my writer friends to grab a copy of it and get started on your marketing right away! Good stuff!!!
The deeper I travel into this novel the more I love it! I am sitting upstairs in what I call my ‘writing nest’ and tapping away at the keyboard. Although my back is hurting me badly I am managing to type lying down on my daughters bean bag. Pain pill helps as well. Cross your fingers for me and perhaps you will have this very book in hand by the spring!
Today I begin with my frustration. Let me begin by saying I am and always have been an optimist but since 2009 of May this wonderful characteristic of mine has declined greatly and unfortunately it still declines daily. I never mentioned this on my blog because I didn’t think it needed to be talked about or was relevant but since this is my blog about my writing and artistic struggles I think it does need to be mentioned.
I need you to know that I am writing from my bed.
I am doing this because I have a major spinal disorder that prevents me from sitting up for long. Not only does it prevent me from sitting up but it also prevents me from running, walking, swimming, driving, and basically anything under the sun with ease. It hurts to put it mildly. I have been writing and drawing from my bed since 2009 of May because that is when my inherited disorder showed itself.
I think its important to tell you this because it is the number one reason I have been struggling to finish my novel. Although the ideas are coming fast and furious and I can’t seem to get them down as good as I used to. When I write, I tend to pace and walk then sit to write then get up and do the same thing all over again. It’s a very physical process for me. I have even gone so far as to lay on my living room for and have my friend help me set up all of my artwork and inspiration materials around me. I have attached a photo below.
My Disabled Office
I want you to know I am by no means complaining. I am just giving you a glimpse into my daily life because that is what blogging is all about. Please know that I will never stop writing until my hands don’t work anymore and even then, I will probably talk – type. I love writing and all that is involved but also please know that I am struggling to do it.
Thank you so much to all of my readers who have purchased my work in the past. I hope my new work lives up to your expectations.
Today was absolutely perfect. Sure I was exhausted from staying up all night with my little girl and her earache. Sure I was exhausted from having to run her to the doctor’s office on Sunday all while cooking a chicken. However, I find exhaustion is best tolerated when shared with loved ones. As a matter of fact, I believe that through tired eyes and a slowed brain that has lacked a bit of sleep, everything around you tends to go in slow motion. It is not until then that you realize how special your family and loved ones are. Did you ever notice when you are extremely tired it almost feels like you are watching a movie instead of watching actual people around you? I did that today. I sat around a table and listened to my family joke back and forth and chatter endlessly but because it looked as though I was watching a movie i could really pick up on how much everyone really cared about each other. I guess you could say I was living in the moment. Why am I telling you this? Well, I am telling you this because I learned something today – something that applies to writing.
Slow down and be in the moment. When you do this you will catch all of people’s true mannerisms, dialogue, quirks, and quite frankly, the truth that is sitting right behind their shiny eyes.
With this Sunday dinner in the back of mind, I look forward to watching my characters in my mind tomorrow while putting some more words down on my computer. I don’t want to just rush to get to the end of my novel and publish it, I want to sit with my characters and enjoy them like I did with my family today. As a matter of fact, I am going to be quite sad when all the words have been written and bound into pages. It will be then that I have to say goodbye and seek out my new cast of characters to sit and eat with but until then, I will enjoy the characters I am with and savor every moment of it!
Well here he is, the clown that rises from the garbage heap in my upcoming novel that is still without a name! I have to say this piece was lots of fun to do and I really stepped out of my normal comfort zone and tried new things for this guy but in the end I really enjoyed the finished piece. So much is going on in this novel I can’t wait to hand it over to my readers. I only hope my writing meets their expectations. Going from a children’s picture book series into a middle grade novel is quite a transition and it has been a long learning curve and exciting adventure! Enjoy meeting this guy while I race to finish his story.
Erin T. Whalen 