Doing the Work

It's been almost two weeks since my trip to Nashville and the Ragged Edge Writer's conference I went to.  When I got home, I hit the ground running- with a Teacher's meeting on Monday and parent night on Tuesday.   Don't get me wrong....I love my teaching job, but all I wanted to do was write.  So when I finally sat down to write...

Nothing. 

I had no bright idea, no inspiration, no direction of my story.

Nothing.

I was bummed.  I had just gone to this life changing workshop and I could not type a word.  I knew where my story was going, but I was stuck.  I had made the decision to put my story in third person instead of first and it put the brakes on everything.

My decision was not one I came to suddenly.  I have been thinking about it for awhile, but after listening to Ted and my fellow writers, I knew it had to be done.  But I didn't want to.  I avoided my writing corner, coming up with other things to do.  I did write- but it was the mythology and I didn't have to change that. 

Finally, this week I decided to battle the dragon, so to speak.  I took part of my manuscript and put it from first into third.  I was not inspired and I complained alot. 

It. Was. Not. Fun.

At. All.

But after I had fixed a few pages and read it to my husband, it didn't sound as disjointed as it had felt while I was replacing the "I's" with "She and her." 

It dawned on me that it will be much easier to tell the WHOLE story and not just Afton's part.  I had just been avoiding it like the plague.  Why?

Because I was dreading the change.  I was dreading the work.  I was living proof of Stephan King's quotes on writing gone astray.  My butt was not in the seat.  I was not shoveling "manure" from an upright position.  I was not doing anything. 

The last few days have been easier.  Oh, I still have a TON of re-writes to do to get this manuscript where I want it, but I'm not afraid any more. 

What's the difference? 

Blue Monkeys.

Ok- I'm not totally crazy, but blue monkeys are what those of us that attended the Ragged Edge call each other.  We are writers and we are supporting each other in this journey.  The last almost two weeks I have read their posts and examples of their writing and it gave me the courage to go and "do the work". 

Tomorrow I have one of my "Writing Days".  I am no longer dreading it.  I am excited because I know that I am a Writer and I am doing what God created me to do. 

I am a Writer. 
I am doing the work.