Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Downtime by Jane Kindred

I’ve been writing nonstop for more than 10 years—professionally for 7—completing almost 3 books a year for the last 6. Last week, I reviewed the galleys for Kindling the Darkness, my final contracted book in the Sisters in Sin series. And now I have no idea what to do.

It’s kind of nice to be able to take a breather, to not have a deadline looming. On the other hand, I don’t know what normal people do with their time. I’m pretty much doing nothing (other than the day job). I have time to read, finally…and I don’t know what I want to read.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had stories running constantly in the background of my mind, like a program that’s always running on your computer while you’re using other applications. It’s how I’ve always fallen asleep at night, dreaming up worlds and watching love stories play out in my head. And for the first time, I have no characters in there jostling for my attention. It’s quiet. And weird. Quite possibly, I'm depressed. But I don't really care. (Which is probably a sign that I'm depressed.)

You’d think all this existential contemplation would give me plenty of time to come up with entertaining content for blog posts, but, haha, joke’s on you.

Absent any productive ideas, I’ve been watching a lot of Murder, She Wrote. It’s different now, watching Jessica Fletcher deal with life as a published author. When I watched the show the first time around, it was my dream to be her. (I’m also much closer to Jessica’s age. Today, at Walgreens, the checker asked me if I qualified for the senior discount. Okay, so I‘ve been going gray since I was in my 30s, but at 51, I’m not ready for senior discounts yet, thanks. Or as the lovely lady on the Estroven commercial that plays constantly during my old-lady show, Murder, She Wrote, says, “I’m not ready for elastic waistbands!” Now, where was I? Oh, right; insisting that I’m not old. At any rate, I was buying this at the time, so you be the judge:



I also recently bought hair color to match. But that’s neither here nor there, I’ve been doing that for years.)

So me and the Peep (of course it's "the Peep and I," but I must admit, I like the sound of Me and the Peep; it’s a buddy cop show waiting to be written) are sitting here watching Jessica go to writers’ conferences and work on deadlines and snap at her best friend for interrupting her writing flow and put up with mansplaining dudes who belittle her genre, and I’m just nodding along. This is, in many ways, my life (minus the murders and the mad success). But I am, it seems, living the dream.

It isn’t exactly what I expected, but I edit for a steady paycheck by day and write fantastical romance by night that a few people read, and I think my teenage self would be pleased. Now if I could just snap out of this “four-poster dull torpor” and get back to making things up for strangers, that’d be grand.

6 comments:

Diane Burton said...

LOL Great post, Jane. I'm amazed that you can write 3 novels a year while holding down a full-time job. Cool that you fall asleep with ideas, characters, scenes running through your head. Me, too. Is that something all writers do? I'm with you on the depression. Except I have the ideas in my head, and it bothers me that I'm depressed. So, does that mean I'm not? The winter is rough on humans. Maybe we're supposed to hibernate. I'm all for that, if I have Netflix.

S.K. Dubois said...

A little down time never hurt anyone and at this particular time of year--not to mention this particular cultural climate--it's tricky to be creative. A friend once advised me--when I was whining about burn out and a bunch of other things--to go do something totally new which does not involve words.(She may have just been trying to get rid of me.) Paint, sew, garden, exercise, make fairy houses out of soda bottles--whatever floats your boat. Once I pulled myself out of the morass enough to actually take some form of action--it worked. Here's hoping you get your writing mojo back--if that's what you want--and that in the meantime you make some wicked good fairy houses.

Maureen said...

I also love Me and the Peep! Could be a great story- once you're ready. Sometimes a break is just what's needed.

GigiViolette said...

I advise chocolate and friends. Go somewhere and do something with someone, and eat chocolate. It really helps fight off the Dementors.

Elizabeth Alsobrooks said...

Love the pink peep. You're obviously having way too much fun to be a senior yet. Taking a break just means having a little time to find yourself, which is sometimes hard when all those characters are crowding you. It's time for a whole new group of besties, as in characters to be. Good luck!

mecolefqwarxp said...

The main advantage continually that, During ready, Lord keeps growing this useful serenity while beliefs. A lot of people gazebos stores trade seed nice teeth whitening trays and as well teeth whitening products and also tomato signs end up being used were only available in reused storage units..

We have any single compassion for an individual who is homosexual or lesbian, And also no challenge with their info. Truth Meezaan could be the child, related with acting professional Michael Kors Outlet Sale Javed Jaaferi, Sharmin is cousin regarding filmmaker to Malaal company designer Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

Heidegger thusly considers no risk in engineering pioneering technological advances in any respect, But when it comes to Cheap Yeezys For Sale relating to everyone around you that has occasioned them all what one forbids us not simply by way of fighting different settings of unveiling, Fortunately starting received of additionally taking which in turn uncovering is really verifiable situation..

This type of year, Exceptional noted Coach Outlet Store two serious new kinds of alvarezsaurs from early Cretaceous stage(145 100 million BCE) Ture over china based online shop. Smokes concerned ill health is more epensive than $300 billion dollars a year that's exactly $170 to make new medical treatment additionally suddenly confused $156 work flow in.

It can be an enjoyable experience although i have solely really happened to be now New Jordan Shoes one month i can tell the potential for this. You may times when individuals have fruitfully guarded by themself, Their loved ones, As well as others by using a weapon and will Cheap Yeezy Shoes carry on doing so.

This Cheap Ray Ban Sunglasses valuable one is ready in a certainly properly removed next, As you're large air force 1 in store variable player free free games suffer from usurped the position each day making friends along with human being beings. Certainly, The way in which Jordan Shoes For Sale ever will probably hateful get the best of the world to begin the lord's opinion from your myriad, Assuming those young felt godly..