During the end of the six week challenge, as well as immediately afterward, I felt as though I’d lowered the level of water in the old creative well. I didn’t drain it — water was still in the well, if I’d needed it, I could have gone deep enough to get at it. But it was low. Would have taken quite a bit of effort.
For the past couple weeks I haven’t been writing. Every once in a while I think about the novel or the trilogy and about writing, but I haven’t been driven to it. Haven’t needed to. That well, I didn’t want to dip a bucket in. Not yet.
I’ve been reading KRAKEN by China Mieville. So very good. Hasn’t completely turned my writer brain off, but that’s okay. I dip into it, then I notice the structure or scaffolding or something and I come out.
Yesterday I read a scene that affected me greatly. (For those who have read it, it was the divination scene.) It was so extraordinary, so amazing, it provoked a creative response from me. The well — resonated, and the water came splashing up. I don’t know how else to describe it. Just that something deep inside me responded, needed to respond.
The end result was a single line that I’ll end up using in SIREN’S CALL.
As well as confirmation that this is the right path. I needed to fill back up. I needed this break. I can move forward again now. Come Saturday, time to start the rewrites of the trilogy again.
