creative space

I've spent the last few months in revision mode while managing some marketing details for the Nun the Wiser Mysteries. Revisions take a lot of energy, they're a bit like doing a puzzle as you try to slot in the best-shaped scene or line of dialogue to smooth out a manuscript so the entire thing flows nicely and all the readers' questions get answered and any confusion gets laid to rest. Revising a novel means attending to LAYERS of text, including character development, word choice, setting details, timelines, even making sure I numbered the chapters correctly. I read through a manuscript several times when I'm revising and it's a s-l-o-w slog from start to finish and rarely a straight shot from chapter one to final scene because if I change one bit, I need to go back and confirm nothing else got jacked up. This is e-s-p-e-c-i-a-l-l-y important when writing a mystery. Change one clue and suddenly the entire case I've made for one suspect can fall apart (and believe me, readers pay attention and will call writers out on inconsistencies). Revising means holding the entire story in my brain while narrowing my focus on each individual element. Because revising requires so much attention, my brain does not have the capacity to toggle over to another project while I'm doing it.

Did you know that after I revise each of the Nun the Wiser Mysteries I send it to beta readers who give me suggestions (which require more revisions) and then I send it to my editor at Tule who gives me more suggestions (requiring more revisions) before the book goes through TWO MORE rounds of editing. Then it's good to be published. Whew!

All of this is to say that my mind has been hard at work, but I desperately wanted to come up with new stuff. Brainstorming new stories, new characters, new plots, new questions of what if? is the fun part of writing. I began to despair that my well of ideas was fully tapped because of my effort on making revisions when I went on a hike last week and suddenly the grey matter between my ears percolated a brand new thought. My eyes glazed over while characters and conflicts and setting details swirled in my imagination, I grew more excited and I couldn't wait to get home and start writing down my ideas. This new story captivated me to the point where I even drove places without the radio on so I could think about this new story uninterrupted and I had pages of notes written down before I left town last weekend.

And then I got stuck on a plane in Detroit for 2 extra hours on my way out of town. I flipped open my notebook and noticed two words I'd written last spring which prompted me to begin noodling around with an idea for (fingers crossed) a fifth Nun the Wiser Mystery. That new idea kept me occupied for the rest of my journey and I've since developed another 4 pages of notes.

But my brain wasn't finished!

My friend Marni and I broke out the Story Magic Cards I brought on my visit to her and we fleshed out a whole OTHER book idea! The inspiration kept hitting us the more we talked things through. It's safe to say we got really carried away while having a blast--and we're going to continue working on it! It's a new genre for both of us and the cards really did work a little magic while the prompts got the old gears churning while we puzzled everything together.

Honestly, I feel refreshed with a mountain of new story ideas to muck around in and I'm lucky to have the time to do it in the next few months, too. I cannot wait to get back to first page work, those moments when each character's personality gets clarified and I sort out the best POV to use. It's a bit like going somewhere new on vacation, where each discovery brings excitement and each fresh experience enlivens the sense. For me one real joy of writing is when I get to mess around with it, even making mistakes in a fresh pile of scenes puts a little pep in my step.

I you see me and notice how I'm more energized and less stressed out, it's because I'm back to the fun part of writing, the one that involves new ideas and creative space to try them out.

Oh, AND while the creative juices got flowing, I came up with the COOLEST idea for exclusive swag for A Fatal Habit! Stay tuned!

Spill it, reader. Are you always creative or do you ebb and flow like me? Do you need a little kickstart or does it come naturally for you?