Thursday, August 09, 2012

Writing and a Puppy: My Muse...


It’s been a while since I’ve blogged here. I started a new blog about our new addition to the family, Napo, on the adventures of raising a puppy. We haven’t had a puppy for thirteen or more years and this is a new experience for me/us because the advice on doing everything with him, training, housebreaking, crate-ing, has changed so much.
I have been writing, just not here. My consultant on my current work-in-progress is VERY busy at the moment in London, so I’ve set about working on another WIP. This project has stewed in my mind for about three years and now seems ready to show itself. As I write and questions come along with the story, I fret a bit, searching for the answers. Then, as I keep my fingers working, I find the words just walk off the keyboard. This is the exciting part about writing a first draft.
I was going to say that I don’t like writing first drafts for the most part. That I really like the editing part that comes in all the proceeding drafts, but I realize when the story comes in a flow, that isn’t really true. I like both for different reasons. First drafts are dizzyingly hard but necessary and exhilarating when they come in waves of fantastic production. I know I’m not alone in thinking of writing as hard. Even when you love something, it doesn’t mean it’s easy. Like Napo. I adore him, love him, can’t get enough of him, but housebreaking him, teaching him what is acceptable and what isn’t, is hard. Discipline is hard, for me to keep with myself in my writing, for me to teach him, but in both cases it must be done for the outcome to be satisfactory. I learned this with raising my two children. I learn this with each novel I write, again and again. It is an ongoing process, the “Neverending Story”, ha ha.
With Napo to keep me company during the long days alone at my desk, I find I am re-energized. The words come; the story makes its way out of my mind/heart and onto my screen/paper. I really do LOVE this part of a first draft. Filling up a blank sheet, and knowing there are more words coming, is literally thrilling and addictive.
This is what writing fulfills in me. Accomplishment. When the words flow, I feel alive and worthy. I won’t celebrate yet, not until this first difficult part of the job is done. Then the champagne will flow and I’ll give little Napo a treat. Because by the end of this first draft, he better be housebroken too!  

Images from:
tessfragoulis.wordpress.com
unm.edu

2 comments:

  1. Anonymous11:54 AM

    Love this encouraging post - thank you! ; - >

    ReplyDelete
  2. Glad you found it encouraging! Thanks for stopping by and especially for leaving a comment!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for commenting on my blog. I may not always be able to respond to the comments you leave, however, I appreciate you dropping by and will do my best to visit your blog as well, if you have one!