Well, it’s been some time since I posted about setting out in my new career as a novelist. I have to tell you that it’s been frustrasting. I would like to think that I am in ‘remission’ from a severe case of writer’s block. Frankly, this is the toughest job I’ve ever had. I can honestly say that it was much, much easier to be a freelance writer and tackle any assignment sooner than the beginnings of a novel.

It’ not much, but I have what I think are the first two chapters of my inspirational WIP completed.
Even better, I have a rough outline for another novel, what I think could be called women’s fiction. And this is what has kept me torn for the last several weeks. Trying to decide whether to keep on keeping on with my inspirational WIP or to just ‘dump’ it and move on to a new idea that I thought would be ‘the one’.

I spent many days and nights fighting with myself. Trying to make a decision. Trying to choose the project that would be the one I would be able to stick with from beginning, to sagging middle to the very end. I would finally have a novel completed. But I couldn’t do it. It seems I just can’t commit myself to one novel. For as much as I love reading inspirationals and so wanted to write one, I also love reading women’s fiction. I just can’t seem to commit myself to one and only one genre.

The good news is that when I decided to write both novels things suddenly began to flow. I know there are many writers out there who will or can only write one story at a time. I envy those writers who talk of how they become so engrossed in their novels that they lose themselves. The characters and settings come alive. Perhaps I have a mild case of ‘writer’s ADD’. I just can’t seem to throw myself into one novel alone. So here I am writing the two novels that I can’t seem to not write.

The inspirational is moving along. The outline for the women’s fiction is almost complete and I’m beginning to feel ready to start that first chapter.

But even with all that going on, I still find myself struggling each day to find the right words to put down on paper. I have found that I work best writing in longhand in a plain spiral notebook. This has helped get past the blank page most mornings but it’s no easy feat. I can see my novels played out in my mind. I can see the characters in my mind’s eye. I can hear the conversations, envision the scenes and I know just what will happen. But getting it down on paper is slow and painful, almost as slow and painful as I remember getting my last dental work done. And I find myelf relieved when my ‘writing time’ is done for the day and I can escape — to the call of the dust bunnies, laundry, baking cookies for the kiddies. Anything that will prove easier than getting those words on the page.

But I’m on my way and I will continue to push myself to show up on the page everyday. And if you continue to show up here, you can follow along with me on this rocky journey of writing a novel. And perhaps we can help each other reach our writing goals…one page at a time.

And I’m off….I suddenly feel like I just might be able to squeeze a few more pages out before the day is through.