Author Blog of Erica Deel
© 2015-2019 Erica Deel, All Rights Reserved
So…umm…that “return to blogging” post I made last month? Yeah.
Yeah.
Not going to happen, least of all because I’m writing this in November and postdating it to February so I can explain what happened with my awesome, pro-active 2018.
I got a concussion.
Scratch that. I HAVE a concussion, and I’ve been suffering with it for the last 8 months.
Holy crow. I don’t know where the last two years have gone, but I know what I was NOT spending them doing: blogging. I’ve wanted to, believe you me. You should see my Scrivener “Blog” project file with all the half-written (or even fully-written-but-out-of-sequence) posts and ideas I’ve accrued. But I got off track and didn’t want to move forward until I had caught up with the backlog.
Where did that leave me? Further and further behind as my primary energies were spent writing the first (real) draft of my novel.
Great plan, self!
If it ever feels to anyone else like I’ve been working on my novel for forever, it’s because I have. Today is the ninth anniversary of the initial idea spark, and may the Muses haunt me if I do not finish before its tenth.
There’s something to be said, though, for letting an idea percolate through your thoughts, settle into the spaces between your memories, and slowly absorb everything you are.
All throughout school, I hated team projects. Not because I didn’t like collaborating ideas with other people, but because invariably everyone has different work ethics and different schedules to accommodate. For all their trouble, I just preferred to do the whole project myself.
However, as I’m embarking on my writing career, I’m finding that teamwork can be not only a good but vital aspect to success. Not only in establishing your own professional team (especially if you are an indie author) to do things you cannot or should not—editing your manuscript, developing a cover design, crafting a website, etc.—but also in the more amorphous benefits of teamwork: encouragement, support, working towards a similar goal. It’s this aspect that I suddenly find myself a huge proponent of embracing writing as a team sport, at least for my own success.
I had a pretty incredible day today: the weather was exquisite—sunny and cloudless with that hint of crisp coolness—so a writer buddy and I put on our intrepid wanderer shoes and ventured out from our normal haunts to go hiking some nature trails up a mountain. Afterwards, we planned on holing up in some little cafe and working: exercise, nature, sunlight, camaraderie, writing, delicious food? Sounded like the perfect day.
Look out, world, I’m back! I’ve been aching to write this return-to-blogging post for two months now, but it wasn’t the right time. I needed a break. A lot of life changes have happened over the past two years, and the fallout from them hit all at once. It was time to stop running away from difficult emotions and experiences and face them head-on. So, even though I regret not keeping up with the blog, I know that I’m in a better space now to move forward—though, for the immediate future, at least, in two-week increments instead of one.
Hurray! Today marks the end of Bout of Books 15, and, despite my lack of updates these past few days, it was a rousing personal success. I read all four published books of the Keeper of the Lost Cities series—devoured, more like—and finished listening to the audiobook of Ready, Player One. Five books in one week? Not too shabby!
Using the hardcover stats, that comes to 2,768 pages read. *pats self on back*
So, I’ve finished my first book and moved onto the second! Loving every second of this reading week. Still on track with most of my goals, though I had to take a break from writing because I absolutely, positively need to devour every available book of Kingdom of the Lost Cities as soon as possible. Really. The universe is in jeopardy, and burying my face in a series of books will save us all.
At least, that’s what the hunger to know what happens feels like. Must . . . read . . . NOW.
The world is inundated with all kinds of books for all kinds of people, and that is a beautiful thing. What is more beautiful is when just the right book finds you at just the right time, blocking out all the noise from books crying to be read on your own shelves, never mind those of the local library/bookstore. This was one of those books.
“Keeper of the Lost Cities,” written by Shannon Messenger, struck me from the first synopsis and several-page read from Amazon’s “Look Inside” feature. Would it hold up to its promise? Could Messenger execute such a grand idea? Would this *finally* be the middle grade book of my dreams?
Yes. A resounding yes, on all accounts.
Well. Today was a success on the Bout of Books front and the overall life-wellness front, but not so much on the writing goals front. But there were reasons.
I woke up refreshed, at a normal time, and began my day with my weekly writing coach call with Kevin T. Johns. That was inspiring as usual and gave me new things to think about as I progressed through the week. I then achieved my other 2016 goals by going to a yoga class and taking a walk around a local park: exercise and sunshine, very good things. I came home intending to get my writing done before I picked my book back up, but that didn’t happen.
