No kids.
No husband.
House to myself, with no obligations but to write.
Time to start a new book.
Day 1: Dive into the heady rush of conjuring a new story. I have been thinking about this story since last summer, waiting and waiting until I could finally sink my teeth into it. I’ve promised myself I will hyper-plot this book, following McKee’s advice in Story, and so there will be NO DRAFTING. Just characters, world-building, theme, plotting, outlining … the day whips by and I order a pizza for delivery so I don’t have to stop. Once the pizza guy arrives, I realize that I will be eating pizza all four days, as there are no hungry boys to gobble it up.
Day 2: I wake up to the knowledge that my writing is usually a sprint, a mad dash to use the hours allotted. But this time it is a marathon, and I need to pace myself. I think about that for a few minutes, toss that thought aside, and dive back in. I sketch characters with words. I make up rules for my world. I eat pizza for lunch. Later, I realize the entire house has gone dark. The sun went down while I was researching Irish mythology. I have pizza for dinner. There’s some tremendous crash upstairs, but I don’t investigate, because I know it’s only the cats.
Day 3: I stayed up way too late chatting on gmail with my friend, so I drag myself out of bed. I spend a full ten minutes debating whether to stay in my PJ’s all day again. All morning I want to check FB and Twitter. I peek, post, and then run away again. I’m close to the limit where I can’t squeeze any more creativity out of my brain. I take a break to talk to the cats and eat pizza for lunch. I force myself back to the computer and stare, glassy eyed, for an unknown period of time. I think this is the fugue part. I start to pick at the backstory of two secondary characters and quickly get pulled back in. Somewhere near dinner, I discover my Act II climax scene! I do a small dance that’s seen by no one. I can’t face the pizza, so I have cornflakes instead. I spend hours trying to name my two co-protagonists, and finally go to bed with their shiny new names echoing through my mind.
My story invades my dreams.
Day 4: I wake up early, trying to catch the last few hours before they slip away. The boys are coming home in the afternoon, and I haven’t finished reading and working through Emotional Structure, a book recommended by a friend that helps me build the emotional heart of my story. I jot down notes in Scrivener, create faery words, research four thousand years of history in London, and discover a passage by Yeats that must be used in my story, somewhere.
My time is up, so I save everything, close it down and head to the airport.
I can’t believe how much I’ve missed my boys’ faces (the husband too). We spend the entire drive home laughing. I am in no hurry.
Those four days were a precious gift, but I’m so glad to have the questions and clamor and energetic life back in the house. The day will come, all too soon, when it will be quiet everyday. I wish I could freeze my boys in time, like the characters in my story, holding them young and precious for all my days.
I suddenly realize the theme of my book and scramble to write it down before I forget.
***
It will take me some time to catch up on my blog reading! Happy Weekend to everyone in the meantime!
That's wonderful you have 4 days of uninterrupted work time. But you're right, kids grow up way to fast!
You are one smart lady.
It sounds like you made good use of your 4 days of writing bliss! I probably would have spent half of my time reading, and accomplished much less.
Sounds like a great 4 days!!! I hope your rested and rejuvenated!
Your write-a-thon sounds marvelous. Can't wait to get to know your characters myself. But I sure know what you mean about loving the loud energy and hustle and bustle. Kids add to our lives in ways books never can. Love it! Glad you had a fruitful time!
Wow! Awesome, Susan! I know just what you mean about freezing your boys in time. I think about this all the time with my kids.
Your new story sounds fascinating. I'm in the middle of world/race building too and serious outlining. Today, tho, I dove in and started writing the first chapter.
Good luck with yours! 🙂
Pizza, pajamas, no sleep, mucho writing…sounds like the perfect weekend. But I know you missed your boys. Glad you made the most of it.
@Paula It's so easy to forget when they're around all the time. 🙂
@KarenG *smiles* I had a smart mom.
@Andrea Reading is my weakness – if I start, I get so absorbed, I'm useless. Need to work on that!
@Lindsay Today is my resting day! 🙂
@Bethany It may be a while before I have something to crit, but it will be fun to share! And I KNOW you appreciate the small ones! 🙂
@PK How exciting to start drafting! I love the first draft. Best of luck with the story!
@LG I'm a lucky mom. 🙂
Hope your enjoying the book. I figured out what you're reading when you mentioned co-protagonist. 🙂
My kids are off today. What I would do for quiet. I give them five minutes before a fight ensues.
@Stina It took until the next morning for my boys to be back at each other's throats! Ah, the joys of parenting. 🙂 And the book is great – thanks for the rec!
It's wonderful that you were able to be so productive while your boys were gone. It sounds like you accomplished a TON! Woo-hoo! 🙂
@Shannon I really did! Which was such a great way to get a book started – I feel like I have momentum now. 🙂
Awesome. I'm in planning for a novel re-write from scratch right now, so all feels kind of familiar.
@Bryan Novel re-write? *shudder* That takes a whole 'nother level of courage. Good luck to you, my friend.
Amazing. I need just a taste of that. Can't wait to meet your new characters. I know it will be amazing.
Wow, what a whirlwind writing opportunity. Sounds as if you put you time to good use! Best wishes for this story. 🙂
@Erynn I had to work up to this one! Last year, I had a "24 hour" vacation where all I did was bounce from library to coffee house to hotel, doing nothing but writing. Exhilarating, but exhausting!
@JB Thanks! I'm in that "swoon at the thought of it" story-loving stage. We'll see if I can make it into something presentable. 🙂
I don't know that I could be so productive with four days. Two maybe–that way I'd have no room at all for my usual weaseley procrastinations! 🙂
I do have two evenings with no hubby to distract me though. Here's hoping I'm not too exhausted doing the single-parent thing to make good use of the time!
p.s. I am still slogging though McKee's Story–it's not the easiest read in craft books. I agree though that pre-planning should make drafting far easier.
@Laurel I always have a hard time writing in the evening – too tired. And when I'm doing the single-parent-thing, even more so. Good luck!! And you have to be ready for McKee! I was in the right frame of mind when I read it, because I had a story that needed major structural revisions. I'm about to put his theories to the test with this new book I'm writing, though!
what fun to be included in your writing adventure! 4 days away would be too much for me, I start missing my family after 2 days. Well, maybe three 🙂
Dying to know what the Yeats quote is!
@Margo When I started talking to the cats was the point where I realized I was missing the boys.
The Stolen Child
W.B. Yeats
Come away, O, human child!
To the woods and waters wild,
With a fairy hand in hand,
For the world’s more full of weeping than
you can understand.
Wow, I feel tired just reading about this! Wishing you the best of luck with the new book!
erica
@Erica I'm still recovering. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Wow! Wonderful, exhausting & exhilerating! Hope you recover quickly 🙂
It sounds like you had a wonderful and productive time. 🙂
What a fabulous four days you had! You obviously made great use of your time 🙂
@Jemi I think I'm almost there… 🙂
@Sharon It was pretty awesome – I can't wait to get back to my story on Monday!
@Sherrie It's a wonder what a house alone will inspire you to. 🙂
How did you train your cats not to sit on your keyboard when you write? Your days sound like Nirvana.
@Leslie LOL Actually, they do sit in my chair if I get up for more than 5 minutes. 🙂