Life has certainly thrown us some hefty curve balls recently. We all have our stories about the misadventures, COVID-19 realities, home school nightmares, and working from home challenges on top of all our regular daily stressors.
Our family’s recent distraction has come in the form of two, yes TWO, not just one, but TWO puppies. This should and IS absolutely joyful and wondrous—our lives full of giggles and smiles and puppy breath and sleeping monsters, but there is also plenty of;
“Don’t chew that!”
“Stay back from the pool!
“Watch the car coming in the lane!”
“Don’t put that in your mouth!”
and “NO! DON’T PEE THERE!”.
Time that should have been spent checking email for query responses, adding emotional depth to critical moments to pull the reader in tighter and debating the best place to open my novel, has been spent installing baby gates, cleaning out the crate (again), bathing puppies and yes, cleaning up potty-training accidents.
We didn’t plan to have two puppies at the same time, but life blessed us with these two amazing critters and we won’t complain.
In retrospect, taking a breath–pausing for a moment and stepping back from a project is sometimes the best thing you can do. I received impactful feedback on my writing a couple months ago, which was hard to hear but struck a resonant chord with my inner writing goddess.
LESSON ONE – LISTEN TO YOUR WRITER’S GUTT
When I got the feedback, I felt terrible and defeated and yet, my strongest emotion was agitation, because… I knew the feedback was spot on but I didn’t know what to do about it.
The feedback came with work project recommendations, which I completed and with contemplation and rest and a moment to step back and reconsider, I was able to identify solutions and write profound edits to enhance my opening pages.
Interestingly enough, I read those pages aloud to fresh ears and, HOLY COW! What a difference! I am amazed. I could feel and hear the difference and sense the impact my words were having on my audience. The suggestions were point on.
LESSON TWO – A BREAK IS ALLOWED
Although we want to have goals so we can keep ourselves immersed and moving forward with our writing, sometimes we need to take a step back. I do this all the time with veterinary radiology.
While examining a radiograph, I blow it up, enhance it, step in close to the viewing screen and critically assess every shade of white, looking for subtle changes to explain the diseases of the pet I am treating. Sometimes, if you don’t take a step back and look at the bigger picture, you will miss the whole story. Taking a break from my writing, to chase puppies around the lawn and pull rotted clumps of lawn clippings from their mouths has given me the perspective to see what I need to work on next.
LESSON THREE – WHEN THE PUPPY PEES BY THE BACK DOOR – CONSIDER IT A SUCCESS
So, you didn’t get in three hours of writing today. Focus on your small achievements. A bark of a warning is a great first step. Knowing you need to do the work on a passage is the first step. Having that puppy head for the door means they are beginning to get it. If you have a plan and worry it is too overwhelming, start small. Pick one challenge and tackle that first. Then go onto the next. Before you know it, the puppy will be barking at the door and waiting for you to get there and then you will look down and your ‘to do’ list will be complete and you can send those words back to the editor.
Keep at it!
AND FINALLY, TREAT YOURSELF LIKE A PUPPY
Keep giving yourself treats and positive rewards. Try not to get too upset if you slip back and can’t get the time in that day. Try again tomorrow. One word, one sentence, one paragraph at time and before you know it, your puppies will be trained and you will be back into the query trenches.
Shhhhhh… they’re finally sleeping… time to get some writing in!
