Taking a Break

​The Writer’s Institute April 15-17 was exhausting and I can’t really explain why.  I found that I was tense during the entire conference which was manifested by shoulders as tight as a brass drum.  I tried taking ibuprophen with no relief.  Next I tried to use an analgesic rub which provided temporary relief.  The real problem was internal stress I had about the conference; I was conflicted and didn’t want to address the issues.
As I wrote in last week’s blog, I enjoy meeting other writers and learning about their writing life.  I was also successful in recruiting 22 people to be guests on my radio program, Conversations with Wisconsin Artists.  Attending the writer’s conference also inspires me to reflect on my writing life.  After this conference I reflected on the direction, arc and plot of my manuscript on the third novel in the Ian Murphy series.  When I began writing the first novel, more than 15 years ago, I couldn’t imagine writing more than one book, let alone, three books in a series – a trilogy.  I’ve thought about developing a presentation on how I accidently wrote a trilogy, but I have to finish the third book before I take on such a task. 
On Sunday evening I decided that I would take a break from writing for a week.  It takes a lot of self control and suspending self-judgment for me to take a break.  I wanted to give myself the time to determine how I wanted the story arc to be to finish the novel.  I had a vague idea how I wanted my protagonist to resolve his issues and transform himself.  I took last week off from writing to add details to my general ideas. 
I began with an end point that I knew I wanted and then worked backward on how Ian would get to that point.  I tossed a variety of ideas around for days.  After four days I had constructed the rough outline of events and a final conclusion.  At that point I knew it was time for me to consult Brigid to determine if my ideas worked.  I was pleased that she validated my approach and blessed my idea of having Ian break new literary ground by writing a memoir based stage play.
All writers must learn to listen to that little internal voice that talks to you.  All of us have our own way of listening to the universe.   I am especially fortunate to have Brigid to by my side guiding me along the path.