I just thought I would give you a glimpse of my WIP, tentatively titled Safe Harbor. I am really proud of myself, because I've spent months feeling like a big faker, like a poser, like someone who just wants to be a writer without actually doing any writing. I've started and abandoned several projects, but keep coming back to one in particular. I have the opening scenes, I know the characters, but have been dragging my feet because I didn't really have the plot clear in my mind. It was really hard to come up with scenes to write when I wasn't really sure what the point was. To quote my boyfriend, Toby Keith, "If you don't know where you're going, you might end up somewhere else"
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_sNTB6rGfazFAaAIqs-37ED1sExvAkj3wPcQKwvSpRe7CpVLpk_5OE0WTeNFXl7Hqvyuabplb40d-ZhBNWW4xDaR-hv0q_t9Ky7LwBirl5QI61T2GbIHv6n9u9ppYmKaxSzuTcf6YMsm9cite6egg=s0-d)
Anyway, as of last night, I have FINISHED AN OUTLINE!
![]() |
That's it: That little brown notebook, the flash drive and the post-it notes. My outline and first few chapters. |
I realize that I do not deserve a
Medal of Honor or anything.
![Medal of Honor recipient Army Sergeant First Class Leroy Arthur Petry chats with US Vice President Joe Biden (L) on July 12, 2011 during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington. Petry is being awarded the medal for his action in combat in Paktya, Afghanistan, in May 2008. AFP PHOTO/Mandel NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_sKG1vwZ3aNMtN54zs5U2_fpU5zJmwV7_bgV6Rs6dDeIEFR0dkl4mwm08XstMCat7cHnQTYHAnCgnZnNp9csQcXPkWzfvx87Njjck0s3HP9vx_thOYZX10XJELbP5MAJ3V_SVv0HV_CijLPgj8=s0-d) |
Thankyou, Leroy, you are my hero! |
I don't deserve a brownie button, or even a brownie. But I can pat myself on the back today, because I know where this story is going, and I am not afraid to put on my sneakers and keep it moving. There is a line in the
Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous about Trudging the Road of Happy Destiny, and I totally love that imagery. They weren't talking about the road TO Happy Destiny, as though happiness were a destination, but I think they were saying that being on the road, trudging along, IS happiness. And it's so much easier to trudge if one can see a few steps ahead on the path.
So. What are you working on that is giving you some sense of purpose and accomplishment today?
Well, I think a pat on the back & a brownie are in order here.
ReplyDeleteI love the post it notes all stuck together in a little line!
Oh, and Toby is MY boyfriend!
Congrats! That's a huge accomplishment -- totally brownie-worthy. :)
ReplyDeleteIt IS about the journey. If you don't like the path, the destination doesn't really matter.
I just turned in my edits for Book 1 (doesn't mean I'm done with it -- only another step along the way until it's deemed ready for print by Tor), and trying to pick up where I left off with Book 2.
Actually, I love this part of the journey. For me, it really is about the fun I have creating my own world. Not that I won't be thrilled when I get the chance to share that world with readers, but the creation...well, you can't beat it, IMO.