October 4, 2014
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The Art of Patience

yoga (250x250)NOW. In my anxiety-driven inner world, that’s when I want everything to happen. I want a publisher now. I want to be accepted to do my master’s now. I want my next novel finished (or at least first-drafted) now.

Yet I’m learning—the slow way—that’s definitely not how the literary industry works. Nor necessarily should.

It took me nearly two years to write Beneath the Cardboard Moon. From query letter to agent took three months (though one agent straggled back with a response six months later). From agent to having the manuscript ready to be seen by editors took four months. Now I’m itchingly stuck in the waiting-to-hear back mode, the manuscript being placed—strategically and thoughtfully—in the right editors’ hands.

While I hold my breath.

At the same time, I’m waiting to hear back from the University of British Columbia. A couple of weeks ago was the deadline to apply for the master’s program in creative writing; I’d submitted my application a good month before. I shouldn’t expect to hear back until December. Ack!

Yet is a master’s degree valuable? Will it take time away from the newest novel I’m writing, now in its research-heavy infancy? Or will it give time for ideas to bubble and thoughts to formulate and connections to be made and storylines and characters to deepen? Do I have to be in a rush?

I’m inspired by Aislinn Hunter, author of The World Before Us, who took 12 years between novels. She told CBC:

I had a goal when I finished my last novel Stay. There was a lot of pressure to produce, but I really wanted to grow as a writer, so I was happy to take my time as I went along. Really, what I wanted to do was hone my craft and create a book that had every good thought I could put into it. Novels are really, really hard. I don’t think that, even if you’ve done one novel successfully or quickly means you can do another successfully or quickly. It was an arduous process and there was a steep learning curve.

So maybe waiting isn’t so bad. Maybe waiting simply means doing things better.

What’s your comfort level with patience?

About the Author

Posted by Galadriel

Hi, I’m Galadriel: blogger, author, reader and resident of a quaint small town in the breathtaking West Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia. You can also find me on Twitter and Facebook.

October 1, 2014
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Finding Time to Write

clock (250x250)When I posted last week about the thrill of my kids being off to school and thereby freeing my Mondays to write, I spoke too soon. Unfortunately, my situation has suddenly—though hopefully temporarily—changed, and I find myself again in a Monday-to-Friday full-time job.

So when do I write? Aside from the job, I chauffeur my kids to activities, cook dinners, do dishes (no dishwasher here, folks), clean house, pay bills, grudgingly garden (aka weed), exercise, find a wee bit of time to relax, read, etc., etc., etc.

The answer, and my inspiration, came from author Diana Gabaldon of the Outlander series, who I saw last spring at the Word on the Lake festival in Salmon Arm. Even though she doesn’t have to, even though her day job is long gone, she writes in the middle of the night.

Okay, so the middle of the night is a bit extreme for me. I love my sleep. Let me repeat: I LOVE my sleep. But I am a morning person; my brain is at its best shortly after I wake up. Get me a couple of hours into my day and I’m ready for a nap. If I waited until getting home from work to write, I’d produce nothing but gibberish.

So if Diana can do it, I can do it.

The morning after Diana mentioned her hours at the festival, I set my alarm for 5:30 a.m.—an hour before required. And I’ve been doing it ever since. Okay, so I might set the alarm for 6:30 on weekends, or maybe, very rarely, let myself sleep in. It feels great to get a little writing done every day, even if it’s only an hour.

Now with Mondays kaput, I’ve changed the alarm to 5:15. Daunting, but I know it’s worth it.

When do you find time to write?

About the Author

Posted by Galadriel

Hi, I’m Galadriel: blogger, author, reader and resident of a quaint small town in the breathtaking West Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia. You can also find me on Twitter and Facebook.

September 27, 2014
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Literary Events I’d Love to Attend

love_of_books_202371I love events focused on writing and reading and anything books. Author talks. Book signings. Literary festivals. Writing workshops. You name it. Being inspired is…inspiring.

Yesterday I discovered the existence of the Kamloops Writers Festival. Since then, I’ve been mulling over whether or not I should go.

I’ve attended some great literary events in the past. When I lived in Calgary, I strolled around, and even volunteered at, The Word on the Street (unfortunately no longer offered in Calgary). I took an extra-long lunch break from my corporate communications job downtown and indulged in a young adult author reading at Wordfest (one of the few adults in a theatre of teens).

More recently and closer to home, I revelled in Diana Gabaldon’s enthusiasm at Word on the Lake (Salmon Arm, BC), and enjoyed the Elephant Mountain Literary Festival (Nelson, BC).

The problem, though, is that I live a long-distance drive from all these events. Which means, although the events themselves may be reasonably priced, the hotel stays are not.

Is the investment worth it? Or is it an unnecessary indulgence?

Other events I’d love to attend:

About the Author

Posted by Galadriel

Hi, I’m Galadriel: blogger, author, reader and resident of a quaint small town in the breathtaking West Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia. You can also find me on Twitter and Facebook.