Writing is a
lonely business. Well, it has been for me. Sure, I have people to bounce ideas
off of, I have Facebook writing groups that I visit frequently to both give and
receive tips, encouragement and at times, stage an intervention (hee!), but
when it comes down to writing those words down, I’m on my own. It can be a
rather chilling feeling.
Very recently, I
was given a writing partner. I should specify that this partner is of the human
variety, since I’ve had feline contributors for years. He fell right into my
lap–literally! My brilliant ten-year-old son snuggled up to me (score! That
almost never happens anymore.), sweetly
offering his help in developing my next book. Given that I write Chick Lit,
this may seem like an odd decision for a boy who thinks of little other than
video games, battles and Star Wars (really anything with a hint of violence),
but once I share an exciting tidbit, things will make MUCH more sense.
I have great
plans to shake things up, peeps! I’m going to add a touch of *gasp* fantasy to book
#4. What the what?!? I may be off my rocker, but it certainly sounds like fun
to me. After writing about my life for the last three books, I relish the idea
of writing characters whom I’ve never met. You should still expect a lot of
wackiness and romance, since that’s how I roll, but you will encounter many
otherworldly elements, creating what I hope will be a magical reading
experience. Ha!
I suddenly find
myself excited, rather than petrified, to start writing again. Not only do I
get to spend more time with my amazing son, but he gives great writing tips to
his panster mother. We sit down with our matching Star Wars notebooks (Darth
Vader for him, Yoda for me, natch) and we discuss our plans. He has me write
character maps, CLEAR plot outlines and detailed notes about my settings. I’ve
been jotting down so much information that I may have to bust into the R2-D2
notebook we bought because it was too cool to leave behind.
He’s also a
stickler for schedules. If we say we’re going to write for the next two hours,
we write for the next two hours–no matter how many notifications we hear
pinging from our tablets about our progress in The Simpsons: Tapped Out. Even when I remind him that he begged me to play this insane game, and
is therefore, responsible for my current addiction, he won’t allow me just a
quick peek. Honestly! Where does he get this determination? I suppose this is
karma for my, ahem, strict attitude during homework season. Payback really is a
bitch.
So, dear readers,
you can rest assured that my next book will be written in a timely manner. At
the very least it will be written, because even if I attempt to give up, my spectacular
writing partner simply won’t let me. And thank goodness for that, since my
furry companions seems to have far more interest in other activities…
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