Fall

Fall always feels like the new year for me, starting back to school as a child and a university student, and then with my own kids heading back to school.

This year is no different. After a summer of family fun and chaos, fall has finally begun this morning with a return to routine. Well, as much as a routine as I ever seem to manage. I’ll have the house to myself again, for portions of every weekday, and as much as I love my family, that’s always a special thrill. I’ve slogged through enough of the debris on my desk that I don’t feel hopelessly behind. Instead, I can launch myself back into my story, reacquainting myself with it, figuring out exactly where I am, and getting ready to go deeper.

Except there are, of course, always interruptions. Laundry, and flowers in the garden calling to be photographed and a long-postponed dentist appointment. I’ll let them create the breaks in my day that I need, to let the story settle more deeply into me, and come back refreshed and ready for more work. At least, that’s the plan.

Maureen

1000 Words A Day – Update

Well, I didn’t do anything as disciplined as writing 1000 new words a day, (Writing on the Road, Aug 27) but I did write every day (well, almost), I had fun with it, and the work will be useful later, propelling me forward as I settle back into serious writing days. I drew up a list of story-related topics I could work from, and the list helped me jump into a moment in the story and run with it for a while.

I’m still struggling with the discipline, but I know it’ll be worth it. Those 1000 words a day hold something special for me – there’s a treasure there I can glimpse, and occasionally touch. I like the push, that bit of pressure, and then the joy when words flow. And I love the progress in my stories – they move along faster, and then I’m happier writing. In spite of not worrying about whether the writing is good or terrible, it tends to not be terrible, to my constant surprise.

I wasn’t interested in keeping track of word counts, but I think that might be a good idea too, as a tool for building the habit. This is a habit I need, along with changing to my computer glasses when I sit down to write. Discipline. Habits. Who knew these would be key to creativity for me?

Maureen

#1000wordsaday #creativity #discipline

I Met Wallace Stegner along Johnston’s Canyon

Hiking up Johnston’s Canyon, I came across a literary quite, from The Sound of Mountain Water by Wallace Stegner:

“I gave my heart to the mountains the minute I stood beside this river with its spray in my face and watched it thunder into foam.”

This is why I return to the mountains whenever I can.

Maureen