A Dark Place

I've had something of an epiphany in the last several weeks. I have lost something precious in the last two years. Darkness closed in and went unnoticed because it happened gradually. And, much as I would like to blame others, it was my own fault. I lost the ability to work anywhere no matter what was going on around me. I took my eyes off the goal and it got away from me.

Not many know this but my writing career began while I was the primary caregiver for my mother. My books were written while sitting up all night with her, in between bandage changes, injections, and visits from incompetent home care nurses, in ER treatment rooms, hospital rooms, and in the ICU. I've written through blaring TV, dog barking, days with only generator power after a hurricane, three major evacuations, and two moves. Illness didn't phase me. I even wrote when things were going well and conditions were perfect.

So what happened? I blinked. I forgot writing is a journey and the goal is a finished book. No matter what happens. The noise of the workmen and their power tools, the insect problem and the great Mice War began to drown out my characters trying to tell me their stories. My "muse" mused herself off to the Bahamas and refused to come back.

Something else I forgot along the way, writing is a business. One with no holidays, vacation time, or retirement plan. One which requires discipline, determination, and plain old garden variety stubbornness. Along with marketing, networking, research, and the care and feeding of ideas.

I've awakened. I have my eyes firmly on the goal again. I have ideas. I am writing stories that I want to read. I am learning all I can about my craft and applying it to what I write. Next month is Script Frenzy and I've signed up for that. There are a couple deadlines for submissions that I will hit. I will begin a new campaign to sell the books that I do have available and I will update my website and post more often here. I will be on twitter more often, and I will be a help and an encouragement where I can.

Now, back to writing.