Wednesday, February 07, 2018

February IWSG in France

IWSG


Please visit our wonderful IWSG co-hosts this month:  


 I can tell it’s been a year since I’ve done any serious writing. Same thing for any kind of meaningful exercise. Both are very important to me.
Muscle memory is slowly coming back up to par in both areas, but slowly seems to be the key word. My characters are beginning to trust that I will visit them every day and so are starting to talk to me again. I’ve at least done enough now that I’m hitting the “hard” part of the work in writing. I remember this… At first it was difficult to write more than an hour a day at any one time. But I learned to keep myself going by saying, only one more scene, then you can take a break. Just one more scene, and it works! I’m up to almost three hours a day now, writing exclusively on one story, not blog posts, not other stories. I’m happy with that progress even when I tell myself I’m taking too long. I’m also walking an hour a day. This is good. I love where I am right now. I am warm, safe, alone (for a few days), and content to have no one to think of but my characters and what they will tell me next.
Here are some random photos from France. Hope you enjoy…

Bread van comes to town, and even gives window service!

A chateau in the middle of nowhere, with a moat!

Bring your own "Bidon" and fill up on wine!

My writing area. Yes, I stand while writing...

Countryside on an afternoon walk...

Abandoned farmhouse. Huge, and beautiful.

Food! Foix gras and magret, duck and duck!

A beautifully restored bathroom...

16 comments:

  1. Your characters are beginning to talk to you again which means they TRUST you. Remember that and keep writing scene by scene.
    Wishing you all the best.
    Shalom aleichem,
    Pat G @ EverythingMustChange

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  2. Standing while you write is probably better for you.
    Glad you are getting back into the writing and the exercising. I believe the two are intertwined.

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  3. Ooh Lisa, buy that farmhouse, do, it looks wonderful. The duck looks wonderful too. J'adore la France. The book is coming along nicely, as is the exercise, how is your French coming along?

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  4. Slowly but surely, right? I need to get back into writing like that after last year. I had a few good stretches of time, mostly a week or two, but other other responsibilities crop up and writing gets pushed to the side. When that happens, I struggle to get back in to it.

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  5. Visiting characters on a regular basis will pay off, I'm sure of it. As to standing while writing, that is super smart and your back is going to always love you.

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  6. Filling up on wine would be too tempting for me.

    I love that you have stripped away the clutter and can really focus now.

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  7. I'd be happy if I wrote only one hour a day, every day. I seem to accumulate it into a weekend or several days.

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  8. Anonymous11:57 AM

    It's awesome that you're writing so much now that you're in France. Beautiful pictures, too. I've missed you and am sorry I've been so out of the loop. Love you to pieces, Eva

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  9. Hi human, Lisa,

    Ah yes and what a place to focus on your writing. Keep embracing those pawsitive resources conducive to your writing and your overall well being, my kind human friend.

    Thanks for sharing those photos.

    Pawsitive wishes,

    Penny 😀🐶

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  10. From January, I've been writing every day as part of a 100words100days challenge which has been set up by my local online writing group.
    The accountability is a major motivating factor.

    Those photos are beautiful!
    Happy Writing, Lisa!

    Writer In Transit

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  11. Hello Lisa! This is my first time here. What a beautiful blog. I'll follow your blog and connect with you on social media.

    Bravo to you for writing forward and allowing your characters to speak through you. And bravo again to be taking solitary walks for an hour. I like to walk, too, although sometimes I have company--kids! All the best to you in 2018!
    http://victoriamarielees.blogspot.com

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  12. I wish we had a wine fill up like that close by our house!

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  13. Hi Lisa - I'm considering getting a standing part to my desk here ... I'm sure it's a sensible thing to do - however a break in France would be good too!! I'm so pleased you're settling in and sorting yourself out ... then the stories and characters will come - all the best - that food looks good .. cheers Hilary

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  14. I write quite a lot, but rarely do I do it seriously!

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  15. Thanks so much for sharing your journey with us. I hope to get to France one day and your pictures make me want to get there even sooner. So beautiful!
    ~Jess

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