Yes, it’s been a long time since
my first blog entry. I was very proud of myself for finally getting my blog started and planned to do an entry every
week. Then tragedy struck. Well okay, it wasn’t a tragedy in the real sense of
the word, but it was for me and so that’s how I’m defining it.
So here’s what happened: I had
just finished the draft of my first book and was feeling all good about the
feedback I’d received from an editor. Buoyed, I delved headstrong into the
second novel I was working on, having been told that I should not have any real
down time between the first and second books. Momentum was the word of the month and not
even the distractions of the home buying process were going to derail my focus.
Only one thing could do that and it did – I lost my manuscript. Yes, I mean the
whole thing. I like to work on my netbook and because Wi-Fi access is not
always a guarantee when I’m out and about, I was saving my work on a flash
drive. So organized was I, that I even kept the two novels on separate drives.
Lucky for me I guess, because I lost the one with the second novel on it and
not the one with the completed manuscript. Still, I was devastated and searched everywhere
for it; I turned over furniture, tore through my office at work, called every
coffee shop I had visited over the last few days and searched my car every day
for a week (like maybe I just missed
it the third, fourth or fifth time I looked).
I finally gave up searching for it
(for all of you readers of The Secret,
please don’t judge. I really tried to summon it to me). So, I just went back to
the drawing board, but every time I started to rewrite those chapters, I got frustrated
and sad. Now I know what it feels like when a pet goes missing (briefly
contemplated putting up lost and found posters for the flash drive, but came to
my senses). I continued to work on revising my first book and getting it ready
for market, but essentially starting from scratch on that second book was just
too difficult.
It took me a long while before I
could get motivated to write again. Thank goodness for writing workshops. I
attended the Black Writers Reunion & Conference in Fort Lauderdale at the
end of August and it was exactly what I needed. Seeing my old friends and
meeting new ones lifted my spirits and hearing about the paths their writing
careers were taking them definitely was the shoulder shake I needed. Writing is
my passion and if I don’t sow, I won’t reap.
So, I’m back at it again with a
renewed spirit and a willingness to let the loss go (though I must confess,
after seeing the movie, The Words, I
think I might react more along these lines if I found out somebody did that
with my manuscript: http://youtu.be/z4gN_yc_7ug). But no, I’ll think more positively and
believe this second start will be better than the first one. I’m committed to
finishing it, so stay tuned…
Oh, so what am I listening to for
motivation this time around? Today it’s Peter Tosh’s version of Johnny B Goode. http://youtu.be/q8WRzdN43BI I
remember my dad playing that one a lot when I was young. Peter Tosh’s raw,
soulful rendition of this song conjures images of my main character making his
way through the hillsides of Jamaica. Running..."What is he running from?” you
ask. You’ll have to wait and see.
Until next time!
