It is the little things that trip me up. It felt like it had taken me forever to come up with an idea of how I wanted to approach a book I hoped to write. Once I had envisioned at least part of the story I wrote like mad for days and accumulated nearly 12,000 words on 20 pages. The creative juices were flowing. I was very pleased with my progress but since it was a time travel story of today and almost 150 years ago I had to do more research. When starting the book I had relied heavily on knowledge I already knew concerning the area, now I needed more understanding of how Lowell related to our growing country. The story had veered off in a direction I had not anticipated and led me to a period about five years earlier and so close to Civil War days that I needed a better understanding of that time in Indiana. Yes, books do have a mind of their own and will sometimes surprise you with changes. So I entered into the research and though it was valuable and needed, it slowed my forward progress and destabilized my thinking. It gave me so much more to think about that I began to loose my way. What it did is trip me up.
Then I decided to meet with a writer’s group one evening and share part of my story. The good news is they liked it. The bad news, if you can call good constructive criticism bad news, is that they did have some valuable insight into the age of the main character and other useful tips that could help my writing. That’s okay though because it will be better. Unfortunately, not being an old pro at editing and not necessarily sure how to do the rewriting tripped me up again. This second trip left me slipping around and unable to get a footing. I should have just wadded in through the muck but instead I stopped writing the story. I had allowed myself to become trapped and couldn’t seem to move. At this moment I am still having trouble moving forward. However, I have been wiggling around in that trap for some time now. Ideas are slowly coming into focus and the trap is loosing its hold on my mind and my thinking. The creativity deep within is popping out in vignettes before my eyes; glimpses of how to begin rewriting and how to strengthen the story.
Now I am wondering how many times I will repeat this process before having something I think might be worthwhile to print. It doesn’t matter because there is a story to be told about the 163 year old town I live in and its surrounding area. I want to tell that story. I confess that I hope to handle the next trip differently. I know many rewrites will come and go and to feel trapped is not acceptable.
Have you ever felt tripped up or trapped? It can happen in many areas of our lives. I’ve often called them stumbling blocks. It’s as if someone throws rocks in your path just to stop your progress or at least slow you down. However, most stumbling blocks are in our minds and can often be excuses not to move forward. I think discipline comes in here somewhere. It is necessary to ignore silly traps and not allow fears of failure or lack of will to dominate our thinking. It’s time to take setbacks and negatives and slap them in a trap behind the door of forgetfulness. All of us can be tripped up but if we are trapped it is because we allow ourselves to be trapped. We have to renew our mind and not allow negatives to block our view. Always envision your future and keep dreaming your dream. However, it takes more than dreaming; it takes work; lots of work. You can’t get there unless you want to go there and that means working and staying focused on the goal. If your goal is to write, then you must write, write, and write. That is why I am blogging. If your goal is something else, and I’m sure most people’s desires are for something other than writing, then pursue it with every breath and never, never give up. That is the best advice I can offer anyone, including myself.
This blog helped me to relieve some personal frustrations and prepare myself for future challenges. I want to thank you for reading it and I hope it inspired you in some way. I’ll be back soon with another story from my Cornerstone Mansion days. In the meantime, I hope you will consider sharing my blogs and website address, www.bennygirl.net with others. Cheers!
Quote for this Blog
Worry compounds the futility of being trapped on a dead-end street.
Thinking opens new avenues.
Cullen Hightower
Inspirational Quote
Psalm 119:165
Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.
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