Donut Power

My last post made it seem like I do all my writing at home. True, I try not to spend everything on earning rights to a cafe table. But, I'm quite a public writer. In college I spent more time in cafes than the library; that's where all my S.A.T. teaching money went. Where we live has tons of cafes, several a short walk away.

But here's a new thing - doughnuts.

There's a place in town called Rocket Donuts. The owner loves donuts and 1950's sci-fi movies. Wacky black & white oldies play non-stop on several screens, and there's a life-sized rocket with flashing lights outside. How amazing to combine passions into work.

I've finished two YA novels and am returning a middle grade novel that has an element of travel between worlds. Where better to launch my return to the project than Rocket Donuts. I got sugared up, rocked out to Beach Boys and cool cowboy oldies that I vaguely recognized, and wrote. One of my nephews is into all things outer space, so I got him a Rocket Donut t-shirt last summer. Maybe I should get a t-shirt for myself for my new writing-wear.

Three cheers for donuts and whatever propels our intergalactic writing travel.

What propels you?

(Thank you to the Sweet Travel blog for the Rocket Donuts photos and cool pastry posts.)

Where We Do It

What do we need in order to write? A desk, tea, quiet? A table, coffee, the distraction of a cafe? For some of us, it might not matter. For me, all I need is my laptop. Place is not important. Nor is peace of mind. Writing gives me focus, gives me peace. The more I write, the better I feel.

February 2010 in my very second post I showed my study – an old wooden door turned desktop and shelves filled with boxes for my projects. Now at a different apartment, my study has become more of a storeroom where I go to print or get a book. Instead of at my desk, I sit at the table where I can look out at a working harbor.

Last year on a cliff at the edge of town I liked watching the bald eagles soar every morning, kite surfers levitate, and the train pass hourly. I couldn't imagine a better place to write.

Now when I look up from work I see boats: the Alaska ferry once a week, the scuttering patrol boats, the schooners. I like the traffic beneath the window, the people waiting for the bus. I like being surrounded by lives I know nothing about. And I can walk to cafes. I can't imagine a better place to write.

What's the perfect atmosphere in which to write? I'm realizing that, for some of us, there is none. We just write. And it feels right.

What about you? Is location important to help you write?

Anniversary Party

My first blog post was exactly a year ago. So I'd planned a where-are-we-now, what's-happened-in-a-year  post for today. On Wednesday I worked five hours in a favorite cafe. It started with a meeting with a writing friend/crit partner, and then on my own I delved into Our Spirit. I saw another friend walk by and she joined me for a couple of hours. At one point in our conversation, she told me she'd been thinking about me, specifically about the blog – how flattering that someone was thinking about my blog – and more specifically that she was concerned that Going with the Flow was exactly the wrong message.

I talked about how a few years ago I was in a filmmaking group in NYC with the name Making It Happen. During my time with the group I turned a screenplay into a novel and had so much fun with the novel that I did more and more prose writing until most of my time was writing and not filmmaking. I still produce short films for Our Spirit... but my passionest passion is prose. I was no longer interested in making a film career happen. I celebrated the flow that got me to novels.

My friend talked about the power of making a decision. Paraphrasing... of just doing it.

Okay. I get it.

I'm not here by accident. The flow didn't just splash me up on a rock. Goals and decisions have power.

I'm making the decision to move on querying novel #1. I'm picturing exactly what I want - representation for a novel about a romantic tangle of three high school guys.

What about my other projects – editing novel #2, first draft of novel #3, a new website, Our Spirit? I trust the flow.

And you guys? Is there tension between going with the flow and setting goals?

(I Googled "huh?" and found this image from Dangerous With A Pen, the blog of writer Lindsey Brooks. Now I'm a follower.)

Journey with a Little Swiss Cheese

I've hardly blogged since November... Why? In the spirit of Nanowrimo, I dedicated November to a new project. I started and finished the writing part of it. Then it morphed into something that involved a video and a new website. I'd hoped to launch it all in January. It's taking longer... But in this new era of kinda going with the flow, I'm not sweating the delay.

The writing is done, and I've got meetings next week for the video and the website. Yup, the flow... going with the flow... I'll get there... the project will launch... In the meantime I'm enjoying the trip.

That's a photo of Boca Raton, FL where I spent last week. I love those wooden paths through the mangroves and the palm trees beside the beach. A path. A journey. Just like I love the journey of writing. I might think I know where it's going, but the view is never 100% the same.

During the new project, I also completed a first draft of novel #2 and, thanks to the Swiss Cheese method of writing in the small holes of time, then I did a complete edit of that draft.

Later I'll announce more specifics about the new project. In the meantime, thank you for coming back after my long absence.

And three cheers for all the sights and detours of our writing.

Finishing

My last post of November 5th was a while ago and I've not been in the blogosphere at all. Well... I've been working on a new writing and blogging project that I'll blog about in January. But right now I'm pretty psyched that I ten minutes ago I wrote the last line of novel #2. A complete, start-to-finish rough draft. Kinda unexpectedly ahead of schedule. Writing at least two hours the first thing every day worked.

Happy New Year to everyone.

A toast to 2010.

Open arms to 2011.

Thank You Writers!

Here's a short post in celebration of everyone doing Nanowrimo. What a resource. What a great way to work. I caught some of the Nanowrimo fever this week, but in a different direction. Instead of officially joining, I started and finished a project (hence almost no blogging) that's already off to a reader. I'm waiting to hear if he thinks it's worth pursing.

Here's to everyone doing Nanowrimo. Keep on keeping on! Every one of you is an inspiration. We're catching the waves of writing even on the outside.

Easing In

Last week, overwhelmed. This week, balanced. The difference? The feeling of easing into things.

Tuesday was fantastic - 5 hours marketing Our Spirit and 7 hours writing a WIP. But Monday felt just as good, taking care of smaller things for both projects. Odd, but the days felt similar. I'm wondering if both days were good because I was enjoying them.

Is it that simple? If we feel that we're going with the flow, then we are.

I wanted to post another surfing photo of someone mastering the waves, in the groove, one with the water, celebrating the flow... but it didn't seem right. One, I've never surf-surfed, just body-surfed on Cape Cod and Nantucket. Two, the surfing photos ooze with physical mastery. All I was doing was relaxing into the flow. Hence, the sofa and the waves. So, what's the flow today? Acceptance? Relaxation? Happiness doing what we do?

Maybe I'm just on the sofa, but it's all good.

How about you, where are you at?

(photo from surfingposters)