I wrote something new recently and very different from anything I’ve written before. It came to me in a rush of excitement and creativity in a way I’ve never experienced before.
I’ve had ideas come crashing in, images or characters or some spark that leads to a story. But this was different. In the past, the ideas have been pieces of something bigger that needed a lot more thought to turn into a full idea.
This time, it was like I was possessed by the muse. It was literally keeping me awake at night. The idea, and moreover the emotion of the story, was a wave that kept churning inside me and wouldn’t let me focus on anything else until I let it out. And it came to me in such a fully formed way.
Not to say that it was easy to write. It required a good amount of research, but the research was just as exciting as the writing. Writing it felt like putting two parts of myself together that I hadn’t found a way to fit in the same context, even though the story is nothing about me in any way. It melded two of my passions that I’ve been trying to figure out how to intersect but had never been able to do so before.
I know this all sounds kind of vague, and I’m purposely avoiding specifics here on the blog for certain reasons that I’m being quiet about right now.
But I wanted to share the enthusiasm I’m feeling right now. Much of the writing and submitting process can be a slog. You face plot points you don’t know how to solve, characters that aren’t fleshed out enough, a voice that doesn’t stand out enough. Then there are the rejections…don’t even get me started.
This, right now, how I’m feeling. It makes all those things worth it. So I just wanted to let you all know that. Thanks for listening!
These moments of creative grace, of communing with the muse, are precious. They’re the reason we put up with all the rest. Be good to your muse and listen to her. <3
Definitely gotta ride the wave when it’s here.
Oh Katie, I totally understand and it’s so wonderful when it happens. I wish it would happen more often!
It’s so wonderful when it happens, though I’d never get anything else done if it was always like this. 😉
How exciting! It’s wonderful how your enthusiasm lasted beyond the first ideas. Best of luck with it!
I get a lot of ideas, so it can sometimes be tough to narrow down which ones to pursue. This was an easy choice…I couldn’t help myself!
I love when that happens! For me, it’s a rare occurrence. Enjoy!
Thanks, Barb! It’s great when it happens, which has probably only been a few times for me.