Musings,  Writer's moments

Hi, It’s Me…

fireworksI promised myself that I would blog again once this book was done and guess what? It’s done! Clap hands!! Of course, I realize that this is only a first draft and once my betas and my  editor have been through it, there will be more work to do, but for now, Book 3 of the Women of Willow Bay series is officially finished! I’m so happy, I’ve been Snoopy-dancing all day long.

I’m not sure why the book took so long. Actually, most of was written several months ago. But I changed it up—a lot—and suddenly it got bigger than anything I’d planned. I confess, it’s my own fault. Switching up the direction I wanted it to go slowed me down. Then I let life get in the way, which isn’t an excuse, but it’s a damn valid reason for not writing. Somehow Husband’s retirement, a couple of giant editing gigs, an excess of early summer travel, and four solid weeks of dealing with a nasty ear infection just stopped me cold. It sorta got to the point where I simply had to force myself to sit down and write.

I hate it when that happens. Forcing myself to produce words is not fun and I want the writing to always be fun. But you know, there’s no reality in that kind of thinking. Sometimes, even the things that bring us the most joy can be drudgery. I love to swim, but there are days when it’s a royal pain in the ass to get myself to the pool. Once I’m there, I’m always glad I did it, but it’s motivating myself that’s the problem. I also think that Husband and I need to find our Retirement legs—he’s still getting used to being home all the time and I’m getting used to having him home all the time. We’re feeling our way and honestly, it’s very weird to be able to say, “No worry, we have the rest of our lives to do that” about well…most anything really. Our urgency level has dropped considerably. That’s not a complaint, not at all. But retirement has certainly changed our schedule.

For one thing, we’re sleeping later. Not a problem particularly but when you’re accustomed to starting each day at six in the morning and suddenly you find yourself not waking up until eight or so, it’s a little disconcerting. I used to get a lot done the first couple of hours I was up. Now, we linger over breakfast and coffee, chatting or just putzing around the house or the cottage, depending on whether we’re at home or at the lake. And, we no longer have to be back from the lake in order for him to go to work on Mondays, so we’re hanging around well past the weekend. That’s kinda cool actually. We can stay as long as we like, only coming home to grab the mail and mow the grass. We’re spending  quite a bit more time on the water and that part is glorious!

The downside is I do miss my friends and family here at home, and I sometimes feel rather disconnected from my life here. But I’m working on adapting a summer versus winter attitude about life and not feel like I have to apologize either place if I’m not there. The lake is our summer life. Home is our winter life, and I think it’s okay. That was the point behind buying the lake house in the first place. In the spring, we’re hungry to open up and get the the boat in the water and begin summer fun, but by November, we’re ready to stop making the drive and enjoy snowy weather and the cozy fireplace here at home.

The sorta funny part of retirement is that I’m suffering even more from two-home dissonance. I don’t know what I have in the fridge and cupboards at home and what’s at the lake, so it’s not at all unusual for me to cart a dozen eggs or a bunch bananas home from the grocery only to discover that I have eggs and bananas here, I need them at the lake. I’m inventing a system that allows me to keep track of what’s where—it’s a work in progress.

I’m’ sure we’ll settle into retirement or rather, our new life where he’s retired and I’m still working. In the meantime…do I need half-and-half here or at the lake…?

 

 

laurenbacall robinwilliamsR.I.P. Robin Williams and Lauren Bacall—two creative people who brought a little extra joy into my life.

2 Comments

  • Liz Flaherty

    You’ve spelled it out beautifully–and you’ll put it all together beautifully, too. It just takes some time. I’m having trouble writing because I have this delicious manuscript to read…