I had every intention of participating in NANOWRIMO (National Novel Writing Month) this year. My template was loaded into Scrivener and I had a brand new legal pad plus new pens ready. I had even used the two weeks after sending off Under the Harvest Moon to the publisher jotting down notes and plot points.
Then I sat down to that blank legal pad and fresh pens on November 1… and nothing. I looked at my notes. Nothing. I went over my plot points. Nothing was sparking. At All.
I wish I could say this was the first time this happened. It wasn’t. But in a way, that’s good because at least I knew what was causing it. I was tired. Not just tired but emotionally and mentally exhausted. I’d finished rewriting Under the Harvest Moon on fumes. Then, I wrote an academic paper, presented it at a conference, and ran a conference panel. There had been no break. No vacation to put my toes in the sand, umbrella drink in hand, while listening to the waves. I hadn’t even managed to get out of Cochran since the conference had been virtual. My creative well was dry—parched like the Sahara. There was no powering though it. Under the Frost Moon, even just the first 50,000 words, was too big a project. It was also too important.
It became obvious over the first few days of November that two weeks was not enough time to recover from the last book. While I had ideas, I had no cohesive way to string them together. Finding words was like grabbing smoke. The harder I tried, the more elusive they became. So I stopped. I gave myself some grace. I needed to refill my creative well.
That is where I am at right now. Refilling the well. My go-tos for refilling haven’t been available because of the pandemic and my schedule, so it is taking longer than I’d like. I do have a socially distanced vacation planned for December (plus almost a month off from the university) and I’m hoping that will do the trick. Lots of long walks, listening to music, and unplugging from electronics are planned.
The target is to start writing on January 1. New year, new book will be my motto for 2022. I’ll let you know how it goes!