Book Project

I’ve been writing a novel for a few months now. The process feels comfortable like a favorite pair of jeans or old sweatshirt. The ‘business’ end of the work involves goal-setting, milestones, timelines, and reader feedback loops. The surprise is how the book has come alive like a newborn crying in a crib longing for me to pick it up and nurture it. I find myself needing to write more and more each day, which tells me I must heading in the right direction.

The drawback of writing everyday means cleaning and yard work tasks are backing up as I postpone them as long as humanly possible. Most days, the dishes overflow the sink and laundry is spilling into the hallway. Mowing and garden chores are a joy of mine, but I’ve had to farm out those jobs to my husband and boys, abandoning my preference to have things done a ‘certain way.’

I find myself envious of those homes with clearly divided rooms with walls for private writing space. The evenings are especially busy evenings when dinner, homework, sports practices/games, and trips to the store for more milk abound. Now that we’re up to about three gallons a week, I’m wondering if I can work a deal with that dairy farmer down the road. Headphones and earplugs can only block out so much noise and our home’s open floor plan means the busy energy is everywhere. Remaining focused is challenging when you share office space with the ‘CounterStrike gang’ engaged in a boisterous round of a counter-terrorism game.

Not surprisingly, the main character of my book (Maggie Long) is also a writer who uses the family camper as her satellite office. The concept flowed easily as I was writing that part of the story and has me thinking Maggie is onto something. After all, our own camper has a kitchen for coffee and snacks, a bathroom, and a table for writing space. I so love how writing this book has become an amusement park ride with me laughing and hanging on for dear life. Stay tuned for more novel news to come!