I've been struggling recently, not only with writing, but with all things creative. I was released from my academic employment (non tenure track) in May 2018, and from then until April 2019, I was unemployed. It was not a great time for me, but in order to cope, I drew out all of my creative abilities--I drew, I sewed... I even wrote (but not creatively, and mostly to meet a deadline, if memory serves). I invented a comic that dried up as soon as I was rehired, but which I was very proud of, and posted some samples here.
It all dried up, except for very small bursts, when I was working again. And given that I have an actual book contract (!!), I really need to find some motivation.
So here is an idea that I got from Melanie at Wine Dark Sea, who traces her inspiration (or exercise) to Melissa Wiley: Tell Me Three Things. Mine is "Just Three Things" so that it doesn't sound too ambitious to anyone--including myself!
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One.
I have still been reading for Lent, but I have not posted. I am reading In This House of Brede and it is a much more Modern (in the 20th C literary sense) novel than I would have expected--meaning that in the literary sense. While it is not Modernist, per se, it moves through characters' consciousness in a way that is distinct in early 20th C literature, and while it is not experimental, it is not exactly linear. It is interesting and challenging, and I have not had a real structurally challenging novel in a while.
I particularly like the... is it a Preface or a Prologue? I am working for a publisher now, so I need to learn these parts of books, but this is a distinction that I've never internalized. Anyway, Rumer Godden's account of becoming acquainted with the Benedictine nuns who would become the source and model for two of her novels (not Black Narcissus) when her sister was pregnant with a high risk pregnancy was fascinating and lovely.
Two.
Did you know that when the weather grows warm, broccoli and broccolini, summer crops, grow faster than you can harvest them, and produce yellow flowers? My current "work-at-home" space overlooks my backyard, where the owners and former residents (for 17 years) set up a number of garden beds, and where we decided to plant some winter crops. We planted chard, leaf lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, and broccolini--though the only difference I could see between broccoli and broccolini was that the stems of broccoli were a bit thicker. The cauliflower produced four heads, the fourth of which got icky, so I left it. The lettuce first went to seed and then produced abundantly, but it is eaten without being cooked, and I couldn't bring myself to eat it knowing that birds, squirrels, cats, and a little dog who jumped through the back fence all nuzzled up against it at one point or another. The rainbow chard has been--and continues to be--very productive. And the broccoli/ni are at the end of their growing cycle, but we can't get near them. They are full of honey bees every day! So not only do broccoli produce cute yellow flowers, the bees love them! Who knew?
Three.
One of the best things about working from home is the need to make sure that we all stay active and the ability to follow through with it. We have, in addition to a front yard and a back yard, a wide, quiet street with a park at the end of it, and an equally wide, even quieter short street on the other side of the very narrow park. So every day this week, I've taken my children (now 23, 14, and 12) to the park to walk and bike. True, they don't need me. I guess I could let them go by themselves. But it's nice to be all together. And I need the exercise and the company more than I need the time to myself. It's been nice, and more than once I've wondered whether I might get a job that makes this life possible.
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There. That wasn't so hard. The last one took me a minute, but not too long. Now let me go write that book... Or make supper, since we're not really eating out right now. I sure could go for a burger, though.
4 comments:
Oh I'm glad you're enjoying Brede! Yes, it is a very modern novel in narrative structure-- one of the things I really love about Godden. I've been trying to re-read her novel China Court which is a sort of history of a house/family with a loose structure that's inspired by the Liturgy of the Hours, but I was to tired the last time I picked it up and I decided I needed something that was more linear. I think part of the problem was just that I couldn't keep rack of the characters. Brede I've read enough times now that I can sort of go with the flow-- in fact my last re-read was when I was recovering from surgery. It kept me company in the emergency room. Anyway in style China Court reminds me a lot of Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse.
Your garden sounds lovely. I really hope we get a garden in this year, but we've planned on one the last few years and Dom always drags his feet. We need new garden beds because the old ones have rotted away and he's always so busy.
You walks sound very nice. I've been trying to walk more, but I find our neighborhood boring. I've been rewarding myself with an audiobook I only listen to while walking. And that helps a bit. But today was too wet to get out. I have a hard time making time for exercise not because I'm so busy but because I fall into the habit of jumping on Facebook as soon as morning lessons are over. It's a hard habit to break and make myself get up and go outside.
I understand that habit!! Walking was one of the best things I forced myself to do while I wasn't working. It got me out of my head a bit. The park wasn't picturesque, and after a while it got a little creepy, but it was close to home and did have trees and birds and sometimes people walking or exercising dogs. And sometimes there were snakes. (Which I like, but they were a little close to the path!) When P. (23yo) wasn't working, he would come with me, which was also nice, because we could BOTH get out of our heads! Unfortunately, I also developed a lot of joint and muscle pains at that time. I am only now realizing that they ALL were likely due to a vitamin D deficiency. I came up with a lot of cartoon ideas while walking! And then went home and drew them. There is a larger park that is also within walking distance. It was threatening to rain today (and did right as we were heading home), or we might have walked there! It's great for the girls, who get NO exercise at school.
The garden was a giant leap for us in a couple of ways. We've had luck only with the very easiest crops in summer. I've never tried a winter garden before, or researched optimal vegetables for region and time! I also had a notion of which vegetables were "hard" but tried some anyway!!
Godden is a revelation. I had no idea what to expect. Thanks for encouraging me to read one! I want to try Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy eventually!
Today I didn't get out for a walk. I had to do the grocery shopping and that is physically draining. Also it was cool and damp this morning. I hope we can get out tomorrow, though Dom has work to do.
I think you'll really like Five for Sorrow Ten for Joy as well. It's very different from Brede in many ways and yet there are also definite similarities.
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