Making space.

Wow. Over a year has gone by since I’ve posted. Yes, my novel still exists.

Did I finish editing? No I’d rather not say. I will say that since I last wrote a blog entry in 2016, life has been running on busy. During this last year I met a major professional benchmark that I had been working towards. As a result things are starting to settle down job-wise.

I fit in editing whenever I could the last 15 months. Opportunities, like vacation days, when I could devote more time to editing, were not that plentiful. But, FINALLY, the launch of The Summoned Guest is in sight! We’re aiming for a Christmas in July launch!

Between now and then my final draft has to be…for lack of a better word, finalized. Launch party ideas…again, finalized. And for me, the writer who has been working so hard…different word here please. Let’s just say it’s time for me to get back in fighting form.

Accomplishing the above objectives, heck, even that I’m writing sentences together regarding this for this blog, is simply because there is more space in my life. The story for The Summoned Guest came to me during a period in my life when I was between jobs, and considering my next step. I had room to think, to go wherever the mind goes for a story.

It was during these ponderings, 6 months in, that this story clicked. Before, whenever I’d think of a premise for a novel, I’d rush to jot it down on any paper nearby. Then in small bursts of effort, I’d  attempt to forcefully grow these stories amidst lots of daily activity.  All the story ideas went nowhere. Maybe they weren’t that great. Or they weren’t meant to be. However, they also weren’t given much space in which to grow. Not in my mind, nor in my schedule.

The same is true with every step I took during the novel writing process. I was fortunate that the first draft was written when I could devote myself to it full-time. All right, let’s check those green eyed monsters at the gate, shall we? As soon as the first draft was complete, writing The Summoned Guest has been done ‘on the side’. No more space at my table for it than a side salad or side of fries gets at my favorite diner. Everything in life got all scrunched together to make room for writing.

For me, and certainly not every writer, this fact translated into a 5 year debut novel plan. Well, not exactly a plan. But why quibble with where reality has dropped you off?

The good news is that plugging away, persevering through it all, month after month, challenge after challenge – is that it’s all coming together.

Some professional goals met for my husband and I? Check. Novel near publishing? Check, check. Time in my schedule cleared for longer walks, and to promote The Summoned Guest? Definitely check! So, how fun is that?

The particulars of this website and the upcoming launch have arrived at the top of the ‘To Do’ list. It’s time to make decisions about what social media presence I want, or need, as a writer. To get to this place some changes in my daily schedule had to be made. Other competing obligations had to be met. I made choices which have allowed me to create the space needed to put the time into publishing The Summoned Guest. That’s what I’ve been working on since my last blog entry over a year ago. Making room in your life for what’s most important to you doesn’t happen overnight. But it will happen.

As a counselor, this is a common theme with clients. Whether someone is seeking couples counseling, or dealing with grief, anxiety, depression, or career or family issues. One of the first steps is to clear the space needed for healing. Or for resolution of a stated goal.

You can’t build a marriage with a partner you never have time to relax with. You can’t deal with anxiety if you don’t have time to exhale. Or breathe for that matter. You can’t write that novel, publish it, and go on to your next book without making space for it in your busy grown-up life.

Sometimes the choice of how much time we can devote to a priority is all ours. Other times, life meddles with our affairs. Either way, whoever is captaining your ship (hopefully you, right?), has got to plot a way to get the ship back on course to your desired destination.

Now you just have to make the time to plot that course…