She spent it on ink
"The difference between a novelist and the rest of us is that a novelist finishes the book." If I could remember who said this to me, I would sell his car on eBay.
I have heard stories about novelists, but there are more stories about the rest of us. Come now, don't flinch. You know them, too. First glorious chapters, retrench character sketches, desperate plot diagrams, vague computer issues, unexplained housefires, wilderness treks in a '78 Datsun pickup with a plywood camper. Offline, off the hook, off the planet. What ever happened to Susan? I thought she was writing a science fiction novel. And wasn't there some nonfiction project, too?
Shame and ruin, ruin and shame. Chapters in a drawer, on a disk, in the glove compartment on fast food napkins. You have them, too. Admit it. Say it loud and proud: "I am a novelist, sort of." Claim your power! Stop the insanity! Make a list of all the things you need to do before you can write again, including major house remodeling and a trip to India! Don't let the negativity of that guy with no car now creep into your pristine writer's consciousness! You know that someday you will show up when those chapters least expect it and take them out for dinner and a great bottle of wine!
I have seen novel panic firsthand. I will say only that it is good to know I am not alone. I have chapters. Yes. I have titles and first lines and short stories standing in line in my head. Jostling. Throwing popcorn. Laughing out loud when I try to speak.
Nursing school. There. I said it. How desperate does a writer have to be to go to nursing school to avoid writing? I would tell you, but that would break my rule of not talking about nursing school here (just here, please, just this one little crumb of my life). If you know a nurse, ask her or him about nursing school. Say, "So, did you write a lot of fiction while you were in nursing school? No? Why are you laughing?"
News of the day from rainy, leaky, bug-ridden, brutally hot Florida: Oh goodie. Here's a brand new hurricane.
Good day to start writing again.
I have heard stories about novelists, but there are more stories about the rest of us. Come now, don't flinch. You know them, too. First glorious chapters, retrench character sketches, desperate plot diagrams, vague computer issues, unexplained housefires, wilderness treks in a '78 Datsun pickup with a plywood camper. Offline, off the hook, off the planet. What ever happened to Susan? I thought she was writing a science fiction novel. And wasn't there some nonfiction project, too?
Shame and ruin, ruin and shame. Chapters in a drawer, on a disk, in the glove compartment on fast food napkins. You have them, too. Admit it. Say it loud and proud: "I am a novelist, sort of." Claim your power! Stop the insanity! Make a list of all the things you need to do before you can write again, including major house remodeling and a trip to India! Don't let the negativity of that guy with no car now creep into your pristine writer's consciousness! You know that someday you will show up when those chapters least expect it and take them out for dinner and a great bottle of wine!
I have seen novel panic firsthand. I will say only that it is good to know I am not alone. I have chapters. Yes. I have titles and first lines and short stories standing in line in my head. Jostling. Throwing popcorn. Laughing out loud when I try to speak.
Nursing school. There. I said it. How desperate does a writer have to be to go to nursing school to avoid writing? I would tell you, but that would break my rule of not talking about nursing school here (just here, please, just this one little crumb of my life). If you know a nurse, ask her or him about nursing school. Say, "So, did you write a lot of fiction while you were in nursing school? No? Why are you laughing?"
News of the day from rainy, leaky, bug-ridden, brutally hot Florida: Oh goodie. Here's a brand new hurricane.
Good day to start writing again.
posted by Susan Mosser | 6:39 AM
2 Comments:
I would say you are novelish until you finish the manuscript, Susan.
You ARE a novelist -- who is in nursing school. Gee - are we in our 20s? And you are obsessed with hurricanes. Not that I don't agree. Right now, my son, daughter-in-law, and 2 grandchildren ages 7 and 2 are in JAMAICA where Hurricane Dean (hey, I am in 2007 here)is assaulting this very moment. Not a word have I had though I have called various numbers and sent emails for 2 days. Damn cell phone amnesia that makes you think it is absolute when it stops at the borders! I can do naught but wait. Meanwhile I reread all of the Crystal Singer books (3) having just recently bought the "latest" (#3) only to find it was published in 1992 -- dear lord have I been that busy? And life goes on.
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