Thursday, October 20, 2011

This Is Where They Are


I took the day off to write and read. Today is my birthday, so I gave myself that gift.

I was desperate to get through a passage of my novel which I have been struggling with for weeks. So I sat down with it this morning and I knew what a mess it was. I could not understand why every paragraph started on the off beat, why each word came in on the wrong note.

I sat for a long time. I rearranged. I rewrote. But it still wasn't right. Why couldn't I be in that scene? What was it I couldn't understand?

Then I said, "That's it. I'm going there."

I grabbed my notebook and a purple pen. I got on my bike. And I went to the pier.

It's only a few minutes away. Why hadn't I thought of it sooner?

I pictured all of my characters in the very place I sat. It was, after all, the exact setting I had imagined when I first wrote the scene.

And I wrote, far away from my little office, away from my computer. In these wild winds swooping across the pier. In the daylight. On paper. With a (gasp) pen.

And I thought: Yes. This is where they are. Exactly where I always imagined them being.

It was such a relief.

19 comments:

  1. It's great when breaking your routine is rewarding! I wish I could enter the locations of the scenes I'm struggling with. I think that would be very helpful sometimes. Too bad it's all imaginary... :(

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  2. That's fantastic. I'm so glad the personal scene change helped. I bet your characters are amazingly happy right now.

    Happy Birthday. October is a fantastic month (I'm a little biased.

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  3. Happy birthday, glad you were able to get away to write :)

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  4. Oh, I love when something like this happens. My pen and paper are my best friend! So cool.

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  5. Happy birthday and congrats on the breakthrough!

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  6. That's my secret solution, too! Though, I can't get to the actual place, but isn't it great?

    And Happy Birthday!

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  7. Fabulous! I'm so glad that worked out - what a nice birthday present you gave yourself!!

    Enjoy the rest of your special day :)

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  8. I love going on writing adventures. Sometimes the confines of my writing area stifle my creativity, and I need to find inspiration outside. Happy Birthday!

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  9. Happy Birthday. Glad you enjoyed it the way you wanted.

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  10. Happy birthday! It sounds like it was a great day!

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  11. Happy birthday, Melissa!! I'm glad you found your inspiration!!

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  12. Happy birthday, fellow Libra! (It's still Oct 20th here in L.A. -- or, it will be for another four minutes.) This post is wonderful. I could feel your sense of "getting there" as the winds whipped around the pier.

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  13. It's great that you managed to get the scene done. Happy Birthday!!!!

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  14. What a great birthday present, to get through the scene that's been bugging you!

    I also find it helpful to change my location when I'm struggling. I might not be able to go where my characters are, but I can get out of my "writing chair" and go looking for inspiration in some other place!

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  15. Sounds like a lovely way to spend your birthday! Hope the rest of your day was great!

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  16. Happy birthday! A great way to spend the day!

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  17. Happy Birthday :) What a great idea!

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  18. Congratulations on your breakthrough... I'm glad you had a nice birthday. :)

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  19. I only just discover this post. I have been out most of the week and collapsing at night, and was just so glad I found out that it was your birthday in the nick of time.

    In any case, Miss Melissa. It is hard for me to think of you writing off note. But it is easy for me to picture you happy.

    Happy birthday again.

    Love
    b

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