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Time, Timing, and Timeliness


A few weeks ago, I had a dream. Or maybe it wasn't really a dream, but a vision. I was half awake in that suspended time before dawn. All my joints ached, and even worse, my foot throbbed from where I'd crashed into a wooden box earlier in the day, breaking my middle toes. It was just enough pain to send me over the edge. With tears streaming down my face, I whispered, "Just let me go. I can't hurt like this anymore."

You can't go yet. You have ten books to write.

What?

The thought had slammed into my head. Not mine. It came from somewhere else, and you can bet I bolted straight out of bed! I limped into the kitchen for water, heart pounding. What the hell? I started thinking about the books I had in process, how long it might take to finish them, and how much time I actually needed to stay alive to complete this mission. Ten years would do it, I figured. I could write a book a year, and that would be generous, with plenty of time for revision and all the other parts of publication an author handles these days. Just one page a day for one year, and you have a book, right?

The timing of the message was good for me too. Several titles have grabbed me by the throat in recent months, and I'm working them. Not with the my usual suck-it-up sporadic discipline, but with a degree of passion I haven't experienced before. I love these characters. They want to be born.

Even more motivating, the stories themselves seem timely, with messages that I think might resonate with readers. My characters are like me. They care about the Earth. They care about peace and love. They care about each other. They want something better for us all. And they're tired of how life is now.

So I'm ready to spring forward. Are you? I'm not just talking about artificial time changes here. I'm talking about the productive writing life. Is it time you did something great with your writing? What's stopping you from putting your words out there? For me, nothing really stands in the way anymore.

Except maybe a good doctor to help with the pain.

And a good, tight hug for courage.

Dani Greer is founding member of this blog and when not writing, dreams of planting gardens and knitting socks, while watching with dismay as more snow begins to fall. Suffice it to say, she is ready to spring forward. You can connect with her at Facebook and Twitter.




Comments

  1. Ha! And here I went and typed "The End" on my rewrite today :-D

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    1. Really? That is so terrific, Elle. I don't know how you do it with two little ones under foot. You are a star! <3

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  2. I'm waiting for my editor to send my her edits, and have started another book. I have no plan, no timeline, just a feeling of "right" when I'm writing, and if I go too long without writing, I am not a pleasant person to be around. I just write. (Of course, being retired and no kids around probably helps)


    Terry
    Terry's Place

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    1. I totally get the "right" feeling. I get pretty snarly if I go too long without writing.

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  3. An inspirational voice indeed, Dani ... mine said, "What? Are you still here?"

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    1. I don't know how you'll take this, Chris, but you're always good for a laugh! Hahahaha.

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  4. I like your voice. Mine said, "get out of my way and let me be me." I did. I can't wait to see what you'll write next.

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  5. Sure relate to the pain thing. The yo-yoing temperatures have my fibromyalgia in full swing. Nonetheless, I'm pulling old, partial manuscripts out of their Pagemaker home and welcoming them to InDesign in preparation for the new computer coming next weekend (complete with Windows 8.1). Will be doing the same for those of other writers I have published over the years. The new computer will be networked with the old one, but the aged hard drives are hobbling feebly along these days, expressing their own pain at all the content-rich new stuff they're being expected to handle.

    And I am going to write, write, write. Don't know that I have 10 books started, but I have enough to keep me busy for 2 or 3 years at least–and that's if I write every day!

    Love this post, Dani. :-)

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    1. It takes so little to do so much, Linda. Just one page a day - I find that thought mind-boggling.

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  6. There is no better motivator than realizing you are running out of time. For me, anyway. :) I had so many plans. Alas, the old brain box is currently taking a beating. I haven't quit, yet. Blogging is keeping my foot in the door. So sometimes you have to coast until the engine kicks in again.

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    1. Yeah, or do something totally bizarre like "tapping". I won't elaborate here. You can Google it.

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  7. Sending a hug for moral support. This resonated with me on lots so levels. The anxiousness over time to write, the pain waking me up, but I do not have the smashed toes. So sorry I can't share that pain with you. Wait a minute. Why would I want to do that? LOL. Happy writing!

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  8. With friends like you, Maryann... Ha! <3

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