That's what it has been like for me lately, hobbling along but not making much progress on my WIP--a non-fiction book about faith. It's not a case of writer's block exactly. I know what I want to say. I'm just having trouble expressing what's in my heart. It's as though my thoughts on the subject are all knotted up.
When this kind of thing happens...and it happens a lot, it seems...I have a couple of strategies for unraveling things.
- I put the manuscript away for a while and come back to it later when I have a fresh perspective on it. But I already tried that and it didn't work this time. We spent a week away at the beach and I'm still stuck.
- I read. Inspiration often emerges out of the writings of my favorite authors. While on vacation I read two books on writing, "The True Secret of Writing" by Natalie Goldberg and "The Sound of Paper" by Julia Cameron.
But, I'm still stuck.
- I walk. Often the knot loosens little by little as my mind wanders. This actually seemed to help this week. I made some progress. Of course, it didn't hurt that autumn has arrived in all its glory and the weather was perfect.
Again tomorrow I'll put one foot in front of the other...one word after the other. Maybe I'll just take another walk.
*
"I would rather sit on a pumpkin
and have it all to myself
than be crowded on a velvet cushion."
~Henry David Thoreau~
*
What I love most about autumn is that winter can't be far behind. What do you love about fall?
jan
Posts
I love the colors of sunny Fall days.
ReplyDeleteWhat do I love about fall? Everything! The reds, golds, and oranges of pumpkins and the changing leaves. The sky that is so blue it almost hurts your eyes to look at it. The scents of leaves crunching underfoot, warm spices, and apples fresh off the tree. And oh, the tastes--apple butter, pumpkin pie, pumpkin anything, soups, stews, and all those dishes one eschews during the warmer months. Fall is a time to savor and to reflect. It has always seemed to be a nostalgic time for me, evoking memories of years and times past. It is easily my favorite season.
ReplyDelete