The Joy of Writing

Here it comes, the darkest days of the year as we slide into winter—and we’re in a pandemic. I think most of us are ready to say goodbye to 2020. It wasn’t a great year, but it won’t quickly be forgotten. Now Old Man Winter is begging us to hibernate and the government is asking us to stay home too; stay safe. What better time for a writer?

I haven’t done any factual research, but I would hazard a guess that most writers have a high dose of introvert in them. How else to explain this desire to spend hours alone writing words we hope someone will read some day? If we didn’t enjoy spending time by ourselves, we wouldn’t last long at this labour of love. (Apologies to all café writers, you may want to skip ahead.)

If you’re lucky enough to have a room of your own, it’s time to go there, find your space and get cozy: Winter is coming. And for me, I have extra spare time: one of my daughters has gone to college and the other is learning from home, which means no lunches to make or time spent getting them out the door in the morning.

Sustaining the energy to complete a novel in the midst of working and raising kids, has been no small feat. Don’t they say, persistence pays off? Some days it doesn’t feel like that. Some days I ask myself: Why the heck am I doing this? I’m not getting any younger and I’m not any closer to being published. Wouldn’t it be easier if I just kept watching Netflix?

But now with more time on my hands, I’ve rediscovered my joy of writing. Being a novel writer is a long slog and there may never be an accolades for this mostly private journey. (Thank heavens for writers groups.)

My joy is in having lots of time for my writing. Not just ten minutes here, or fifteen minutes there. That has meant I could only work on one thing at a time, at best. But I love the freedom to multi-task. And like many writers, my first love is reading. There’s nothing I like to do better than to sit in my library and follow ideas where they take me. Sometimes I’m googling to learn something new, then I’m dipping into my own bookshelves for something I remember reading, or slow-reading a few poems, or referencing something I need for my writing. Saturday morning, I was able to work on my blog and my novel.

Time has allowed me to keep my writing practice loose, work on more than one project and keep the energy going.  I’m able to follow my instincts on where best to spend my time. Some mornings are literally practice, writing out scenes from favourite books. Other mornings are spent editing, and another session is creating something entirely new, and another moment is spent reading—either a draft, or going over a technique from a how-to book.

I don’t like working on one thing at a time. I like variety and my brain is inquisitive. Which is why my favourite room is my library; it’s where I write best, surrounded by my books which I can refer to at a moment’s notice. (I’ve always found it difficult to travel and write—choosing what to bring with me and what my mood for writing will be.)

And my library wouldn’t be complete without a section of how-to writing and reference books. All have been important to me along the journey of writing, but here are some of my current go-to, how-to books!

First off, I’m loving all things K. M. Weiland. She has a great website with lots of tips, tricks and tools for your writer’s bag. In my library, I have her books and corresponding workbooks: Creating Character Arcs, and Structure Your Novel. She has templates for Scrivener and I’ve just downloaded her latest tool, a program for Outlining Your Novel on your computer. Definitely worth a visit: https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/

Back to my library though. Here are some of my other favourite how-to and reference books:

Make a Scene, by Jordan Rosenfeld

Layering your Novel, by C. S. Lakin

Writing Deep Scenes, by Martha Alderson and Jordan Rosenfeld

The Emotional Craft of Fiction, by Donald Maass

The Fire in Fiction, by Donald Maass

Understanding Conflict, by Janice Hardy

How To Write Short Stories, by James Scott Bell

How to Write Dynamite Scenes Using the Snowflake Method, by Randy Intermanson

The Anatomy of a Story, by John Truby

If you feeling your writing is stalled, why not pick up a book on writing, or spend some time remembering why you’ve chosen this crazy path and fall in love all over again with your joy of writing.