Appointments For Adventure 2: My Nemesis
Writers are notorious for writing about the flow of the muse and writers block as the antithesis of each other. I’m having a long-standing battle with my nemesis at the moment—a novel I began in Tuscany in 2010, developed at Oxford in 2013 and worked on at The Art of Writing in Tuscany last year. My nemesis isn’t about the muse deserting me and suffering writer’s block, I’m somewhere in the middle. I have plenty to write about but, something is stopping me.
The novel is in my head all the time. I get inspiration and jot ideas down. The characters live in my head, and even as I’m vacuuming, as I’ve just finished doing, they speak to me.
This book is asking to be written and just won’t leave me alone. So why isn’t it done?
It’s been there since 2010 and has had several opportunities to be developed. I’ve written three other books out since I jotted those first notes while seated on a sun lounger, overlooking a spectacular tuscan view from the villa we were staying in. So what’s the problem?
This was the moment I began writing this novel. I have date, time and place recorded on my camera. On 8/10/10 at 2.30 pm I took a photo of my notebook with the first pages of notes.
There are several reasons for this and they are roadblocks in my thinking that take me away from completing the book.
Here they are. Time for the adventure of spilling your guts and telling the truth:
1. Sometimes I don’t have the confidence to do things outside my comfort zone. The other books I’ve written have pushed me to the edges of my comfort zone, and maybe just outside, but this book is pushing me to take it further and my comfort zone (read confidence in myself to write a great book) and I don’t like it.
2. It’s easy to write random ideas, but to actually push through and produce the 80 000 to 100 000 words I need to get this book finished is hovering over me like a cloud and it’s easier to vacuum the floors or write another, ‘easier’ book or article and push this one to the side.
3. My nemesis knows me too well and loves teasing me. Roadblock after roadblock is thrown into my path: go on Facebook, check your emails, work on that interview, clean the house, travel to Antarctica … You get the picture. The roadblocks are valid and are things I need to do. However, this darn book is sitting here on my desk, day after day, like a neglected puppy waiting to be taken out for a walk.
So what do I do?
Today, my adventure is to face my nemesis. Give it a name and call it out. Fear. Fear of being successful. Fear of being unsuccessful. Fear. Here’s how I’m going to kick my nemesis’ behind, get him out of the way and take some steps to get this manuscript completed.
1. I’ve signed up with a mentoring program and I have homework this week: Rewrite the opening of the novel and rewrite the synopsis of the book. I have to do this by Thursday. It’s an assignment and has a due date. I’ll stay up all night if I have to do it. That’s my style and has been since high school!
2. I’ve signed up to go to The Art of Writing retreat in Tuscany beginning 14 June, so I have a goal of reaching about 50 000 words and work on completing a chunk more while I’m there. I’m hoping to complete the circle—I began in Tuscany and I’ll finish there.
3. Today, I’ve gone over my synopsis and given my character some real roadblocks in her story that will annoy and frustrate the life out of her. I’m hoping that this will kickstart my writing as I spend more time in this beautiful gift of a writing spot and my nemesis, Fear, will be chastised and forced out of this space. Fear can come back and visit, sometimes we all near a bit of fear to spur us on, but I’ll face the fear and do it anyway!
#365adventure is a book lover’s year of adventures. Adventures in travel, friendship, family, soul, heart and, of course, book stores!
