I didn’t write yesterday because it was a crap day at the desk and I wanted to spare you from having to deal with my sour mood. After four novels and countless essays, etc., you’d think I’d have some idea how to go about this work, how to wring the most from my time at the desk. But I don’t. I know how to live in my own creativity, but writing the book is the hardest thing about publishing the book.
But I’ve kept some of Maggie Smith’s advice in mind over the past couple of days. Yesterday, I sat and waited for the exact fish I was hoping to find, and when I didn’t see it I packed up my pole and tackle and went home in a huff. This morning, I sat in the boat, and then I caught a lot of fish, over 1,500 words of fish in just a couple of hours. I don’t know that I’ll keep all the fish, but at least they’re there.
There was another thing about today that felt a little different. I woke up and went straight to my work. I didn’t even make coffee at home, doing so at the office instead. I drove to work without the radio on to relish in the dream state from which I’d just emerged, and I sat down by 7:00 a.m., did my breathing exercises, and waited on the fish - whatever they would be - to come. They came. Hallelujah.
I know that some of you might not be able to go right to your creative work when you wake up first thing in the morning. Often, I can’t either. But I can live in that consciously creative space after waking, even if my body is doing something else. You can too. Take a pad or slips of paper with you to take note of what might come to mind. Catch the fish as they appear; you can figure out what kind of fish they are later. Onward.
P.S. I spent half an hour on the phone with my editor today. She likes the direction the novel is going in, and she’s excited about a few ideas I have about books to come. I’ve had the same editor for all four of my published novels, so it was a bit of a shock to me when he retired as we’d been friends and worked together for over a decade. But the new editor is young and brilliant and funny and wry, and I have no doubt she’s exactly who I need right now for the book I’m working on.