This post is dedicated to Chippy, a new character in my novel, Sunrise.
While driving home from Mother’s Day dinner, a bird literally flew into my mind and perched there demanding I take notice. I instantly knew he was a gray parrot and that he had to do with my story. I also knew what character was going to be associated with him. Last night I included Chippy in my writing session, and he played a vital part in the chapter I worked on. I love when flashes of inspiration hit. It’s one of the biggest pleasures in storytelling.
I decided to blog about my current work in progress, Sunrise. Writing about the joy and pain involved during the writing process sounds like a lot of fun, and I wish I had done this with my first book, Unison, that is nearing the publication stage. Sunrise is my third planned release. I’m aiming for December 31 2012—depending on who’s interpretation of the Mayan calendar is correct.
I would like for this blog to inspire both new writers and pros alike. It’s sometimes nice to remember we’re not alone in our neuroticism…and you’ll see a lot of that aspect of me in future posts. What tempers this part of myself is that writing has evolved into a form of meditation for me. When I write, I connect to something that’s larger than myself and from there inspiration never ceases. Find this place yourself, and you’ll discover writer’s block is a myth. Once I found it—and learned to connect to it at will—the idea and plotting stage of a novel evolved into my favorite part of writing process.
The spiritual nature of my writing will more than likely be the undercurrent of future blogs as it’s what keeps me tethered to the craft of writing and storytelling. No matter how many times I sit down to write, the very place from where ideas come from never fails to both amaze me and humble me. In my next blog I’ll discuss what point of view I selected for Sunrise, why I selected it and the challenges that it’s giving me. This is one of the most important decisions to make when starting a novel as it’s the point of view that ties the whole story together.
