Good morning all! We have guest Mona Karel visiting us today with an interesting perspective on writing. Enjoy!
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Do NOT Get Between Me and My Book
Mona Karel
I recently took a break from writing to vacation in one
of my “other worlds,” spending a week at a large gathering of my favorite breed
of dog. This included five days driving
to and from, and no real time (or inclination actually) to write.
A brief rest after arriving home, and I was ready to
tackle that work in progress. I opened my e-mail to a message from someone I’ve
know for decades, dredging up past slights and bizarre accusations. I know this person isn’t the most balanced of
my acquaintances, and thought I could shrug off her rants. In fact I thought I had. Instead I stewed over the memories she dug up
out of my past, and examined every one of her accusations for truth. And...I didn’t write.
Obviously I was more tired from the trip than I
realized. It took two full days to
realize I had allowed her the power to come between me and my book. For years I fought my job, my life, and
myself to put writing first. Lo and
behold, first chance I had, I let this nonsense take over one of the most
important components of my life.
Maybe all writers aren’t intrinsically insecure. I’ve met
many, long term and new, published or unpublished, who believe completely in
themselves and their words. Naturally I
measured myself against them, and found myself just not quite up to their
strength. Foolish, yes, but knowing myself has become the first step toward
making myself a better person, and writer. I’m not them, I’m me. No worse, no better.
If you managed to stay with me throughout this whine,
then may I offer this bit of advice. Do
NOT let anyone, including yourself, get between you and your book. We want to write well but we need to write
often and the rest will come along as we allow ourselves to be the writers we
are meant to be. I will now stumble off
my soapbox and get back to writing, after I introduce you briefly to Bethany
Acton, a writer of all things, who is a main character in my most recent book,
Teach Me To Forget. Bethany never
suffers from writer’s block–hey, we can all dream!
Teach Me To Forget
Her past was behind
her...or so she’d thought.
Bethany Acton has come a long
way from the day she was an abused child-bride of a dissolute jet setter. Now
divorced and single, she writes for a lifestyles magazine, lives out of her
motor home, and answers only to her boss—when he can find her. She has overcome
her horrendous past and taken control of her own life. But when Jonathan
Merritt, a rising star in wildlife photography, enters her world, she learns
that control is a tenuous thing.
His past was despicable, but
it hasn’t affected his future...until now.
Jonathan knows he has met the
woman with whom he wants to spend his future, but first he must admit his role
in her past. Afraid the truth will turn her against him, he tries to gain her
trust and affection before confessing. But the longer he hesitates, the harder
it becomes to tell her. Can Jonathan gain enough of her love and trust for her
to forgive what he did—or will his past indiscretions destroy his only chance
for happiness?
