Ideas multiply. It’s a fact. It’s physics. Energy begets energy. Ideas beget ideas.
I get a lot of ideas when I write. The come from what I’ve written, from my research and from my characters themselves. Sometimes it is a line I write that doesn’t quite fit my current story, but that sparks a new one. Most often, though, it is an idea to fill a hole in my plot I hadn’t realized was there.
Life is distracting. There is no doubt about that. Texts ding. Calls ring. Cats need petting. Children want food. There are so many distractions. Even ideas can be distractions.
There is something about the new and shiny that demands attention. Even new ideas. They are exciting and the urge to drop everything and follow where they lead is a strong one. Unfortunately, it is also a great way to end up with a hundred unfinished manuscripts.
There comes a time in everyone’s life when you have to embrace who you are, faults and flaws included, although we may try to avoid being that truthful with ourselves. We love to tell ourselves lies—calories don’t count on Sunday, I’ll make up for it tomorrow. In the end, though, we are ourselves whether we own up to it or not. These lies hamper us and our writing.
At the beginning of summer my husband urged me to take a break from work, which surprised me. I am a stay-at-home-working mom. I make my own schedule so I can take care of our son. How was I supposed to take a break? Wasn’t my shorter work day enough?
He didn’t think so.
It’s been a long while since I posted anything. All I will offer in way of excuse is that life caught me by the pen and I got lost in the creative vortex. It happens. Time slips away when words fill the page. I won’t say I am sorry. It has been a wildly creative time for me and one I needed.
If you’re like me, you are probably setting goals for the new year—promises to exercise daily or eat right. It’s the season for starting over and re-committing to good habits. There’s nothing like feeling you have a clean slate and can move forward freely into a new and improved you. But while you’re picking good habits, don’t forget your writing.