Creative Mess

Gibberish. Confusion. Lack of structure. That is my writing technique lately. Not to brag, but I think I've also learned how to take procrastination to a whole new level. To my own defense, my motivation and confidence have taken regular artillery hits since I started querying my young adult fantasy novel.

While my muse would like to stay tucked away in his cozy corner drinking wine, I keep trying to demand we move on to the next project. I will keep sending queries out. Maybe I'll stop once I've sent out a hundred (I have a long way to go).

For now it is time to put pen to paper and the fingers to the keyboard. I have a family series I've been wanting to do for years. And now that my children have ingested roughly a million books and are of the great ages of wild imagination, they are just the inspiration I need to get started.

Still, every rejection that blows up my inbox sends me and my muse right back into the fetal position. That kind of whiplash along with the head cold I'm fighting make it hard to stay inspired. I am a confounded writer tugged between rejection and hope. Between a world of no and the sneaky little voice in my head that keeps saying yes. So is the life of a writer. To enjoy the privilege of creating, I must toughen my skin and learn to except the mess that is made in order to enjoy the finished product, even if that mess is the struggle rattling between my ears.

One thing I keep going back to is this clip about inspiration featuring Jack White of the White Stripes. He physically puts things out of his reach to stretch his potential. Wow. That is commitment and dedication. Instead of feeling deflated by the rejections, I should be stretching myself by changing my techniques, sending more queries, and writing. Every inch of the way, writing. Even writing things that are outside my normal comfort zones. Maybe I'll even try my hand at a historical fiction. I have an idea for a piece on the women who have misbehaved badly throughout history in order to make our world a better place.

But then again, by changing my direction I'd be pulling myself away from the series I was planning to write. See what I mean, confounded. The head cold certainly doesn't help. Maybe after a nap, I can think more clearly. A long winter's nap....

In the meantime, I will stick with what I know. And right now that is a story of a boy who has been kidnapped by polar bear pirates. No matter what query responses I get, I have to keep writing otherwise the cold won't be the only thing messing with my head. Having too many characters running a muck can be detrimental to ones health.

Good luck and keep writing!