WRITING IS A LOVE AFFAIR

I finished a book, Pelican Cove, a few months ago and found that after spending thirteen months intimately involved with my characters it was really hard to move on. I thought I could move quickly to the next book, and it seemed I did. But, it was really just a rebound love affair. Two weeks hot and heavy with Revelations and it petered out. Another two weeks of drifting, realizing that that relationship hadn’t been more than a fling.

Then another month with ANOTHER story, another AMAZING story and I thought this is IT! Surely I’ve found my next long term relationship (That’s really all a book is, a long-ish term relationship with imaginary characters that become more real than anyone else in your life while they are being born and struggling to exist) but then when the inspiration flagged there wasn’t still that burning need to find out what came next. The kind of desire to struggle past the lack of inspiration into the real hard WORK of writing a novel. And believe me it IS work. Just like any relationship, the ones that make it to that final ‘The End’ are the ones you’re really willing to put in the blood, sweat and tears. Or for a writer, the caffeine, endless hours staring at your keyboard and chaining yourself to your laptop/computer/ notebook/whatever even when you’d rather be watching TV. And when you find the story, the one that you know you can write even when the inspiration starts petering out and the idea isn’t as bright and shiny and the unicorns are no longer farting rainbows, that’s when the true love affair begins. Have I found my next long romance? Maybe…I’ll let you know.

Until next time!

L