We planned a last minute escape to Door County, Wisconsin for the long weekend. I forced myself to take a much-needed break from planning a possible book trailer for my debut novel, All the Walls of Belfast, and preparing feedback for both my future #WriteMentor mentee and also all the people who trusted me with their submissions. Here’s a few of my favorite pictures 🙂
Feeling refreshed and ready to work.
This weekend, I had the privilege of attending a writer’s retreat up in the North Woods of Wisconsin. It may be the first weekend of May, but when we first arrived, the lake was still partially frozen. Happy spring, love Wisconsin.
Last year, after I came home, my husband asked, “What did you do the whole time?” There are no learning sessions or scheduled activities beyond meals. It is just writing. For like three days. So my response: “wrote like a crazy person for like 14 hours a day.” And I think he did think I was a little crazy. Or maybe more than a little, lol. But it was amazing. I mean, call it what you want–being in the zone, writer’s high, whatever–but being away from home, surrounded by other like minded, like devoted people, freed my brain and it was absolutely amazing. I’ve spent this entire year just WAITING for the next one.
This year, I didn’t have something I NEEDED to work on. All the Walls of Belfast is currently untouchable, and I recently sent another WIP to my agent. None of my other projects have been calling to me either. But cue #WriteMentor! A new twitter-based writing contest to hook unagented authors up with mentors who are agented/published. The past few years, with my super busy life, I’ve been missing the camaraderie of a solid Twitter writing community. So I signed up to be a mentor a few weeks ago and this Friday, the submission window opened. Perfect timing. At the writer’s retreat, I had the unique opportunity to devote all my brain power to reading entries and prepping feedback. And I could pick the brains of fellow writers around issues like how debut novels pitched as trilogies are fairing in the market place. Writer’s retreats are also a great place to build new writer connections. Only small hiccup, my laptop decided to spontaneously die on the first full day.
And it was an hour and a half drive one way to a Best Buy to get a new one. #writerproblems
All’s well that ends well though, and I managed to get through all of my submissions, make new writer friends, and interrogate a published author on the finer points of tax deductions, making audio books, and marketing.
I highly recommend writer’s retreats to any writer, no matter where you are in your writing journey 🙂
I’m just going to admit it. I haven’t done any sort of writing for a month. October was so busy with work and weddings and my daughter’s birthday and all the lovely Fall things that I didn’t even think about writing.
But, to be honest, it’s been rejuvenating. With one of my WIPs, I’ve felt like I’ve been running a marathon with no finish line for about five years. It’s been in a perpetual state of me thinking it’s almost done, only to discover some major issue, triggering major (if not almost entire) rewrites. This WIP is particularly complicated for many reasons, but now–for real–it’s with my agent.
In September, I dabbled with a few other WIPs, but none of them grabbed me at the time.
But after a month off, I feel like my creativity wells have been replenished. I’m ready. And I’ve figured out why one of my WIPs wasn’t working, even though–for once–I have a fairly strong plot from the get-go. The problem is I’m not connected to one of the main characters. I can’t feel her voice. I don’t feel her inner conflict. II don’t know who she is as a unique (imaginary) human being. I don’t know her core beliefs and fears or her moral compass. She isn’t real to me yet, therefore I can’t care enough to write her. I need to discover her. Once I do that, I know this WIP will carry me away, because I love the setting, concept, theme, and other main character.
Here’s my plan to kick start my writing brain again.
I’ve got my playlist, my personal soundtrack for the book, ready to go.
I’ve started a new Pinterest board with quotes that inspire my MC (and me) as well as images that inspire the setting and scene.
And I’m delving back into a few writing resources that challenged me to become a better writer a few years ago to get me into my character’s head.
I’m excited to finally write again 🙂
My family went up to a cottage in St. Germain, Wisconsin, and for the first time in months I didn’t do anything writing related for three whole days. Didn’t open my laptop once, even on a rainy day. So refreshing ☺️
Now I’m excited to get back at it.
…and this is me:
I feel like this should be a post about all the wonderful things I’ve learned about myself and the world, the new perspectives I have on what it means to be American or a Wisconsinite, or my plans for dealing with reverse culture shock and reintegration into Wisconsin life…or something deep like that.That’s all coming, I’m sure, but as I’m trying to cram my life into suitcases (yes, suitcases, because we’re not shipping anything back), I just don’t have the cognitive energy to reflect on all that yet. Especially with the whirlwind of goodbyes the last few days has been.
It’s been a good run, this year and a half in Singapore. I’ve written and edited a novel, and just gotten an agent for it. I’m well into the first draft for another. I’ve visited: Australia, Cambodia, Indonesia (Bali and Bintan), Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Oh, and Singapore. I may have broken my face a lil bit in Cambodia–just one of many interesting travel stories I now have. I’ve frolicked with elephants. Seen kangaroos, koalas, and kookaburras in the wild. Done extensive field research into vocabulary and spelling differences between American and British English. Made lots of friends from around the world–even converted one English friend into a Packers fan. Got into the Singapore schools a little bit, to teach a creative writing course to local 4th graders and also teach a Saturday enrichment class to local five-year-olds. Spent a year and a half relying solely on public transportation which, thankfully, is pretty great in Singapore. Ended up stopping at at least 47 out of 113 MRT stations (Singapore’s subway). Yes, I was keeping track 😛 Lived being the minority, an Ang Moh, which I think everyone should experience. There’s another post I’ll write some day; it does help you appreciate different aspects of white privilege to be sure. And I could go on and on.
I’ve NOT been as food-venturous as I should have, I’ll admit that. I have this thing about fish. And mayonnaise. And sketchy-looking chicken. And meat on bones. So…that’s my bad. I’ll miss satay and prata and iced Milo (and flat whites, though those are Aussie). I wish I would have explored more of Singapore, as in the Heartlands and parts where expats don’t go. I did a little bit while working in the schools (Pasir Ris and Alljunied areas), but I wish I would have learned more about Singlish and local cultures. I’m sure as I’m plugging back into my old life, there will be many more things I regret as well.
I’m excited to get back to my family and the niece and goddaughter I barely know. I can’t wait to go back to working in the schools and trying to make a difference in the lives of children and families. I’m excited for cheese curds and good, cheap microbrews and snow! Yes, snow! I cannot wait for seasons and cold and being able to run in the middle of the day. And a car. I cannot wait to have a car again. Can I still have one and not pay thousands of dollars a year for it? Not having to make car payments or pay for insurance or gas or repairs has been amazing.
After the dust settles and I’ve wrapped my brain around plugging back into my old life, I’ll write those posts on what being American means to me and Midwest culture and how living abroad changed my entire worldview and self-view. But for now I think I’ll go make some cookies or something 😛 Or maybe I’ll stop by the coffee shop in Chip Bee Gardens that knows my order one last time. It’s a blue orange mocha by the way.
Some of my favorite pictures from Singapore:
To this:
Sarah J. Carlson 