Wednesday, July 7, 2010

The Story's Calling

I don’t know about other writers, but when I finish something I’m completely at loose ends. Don’t get me wrong, I have a ton of things to do. I have a couple big gardening chores that I need to finish. Two Shakespeare costumes that need to be sewn. A basement that needs to be reorganized. And a storage closet that needs to be sorted.

But even with all those projects, I find myself wandering the house. I think I miss those characters whispering in my mind. Okay, it’s not that they stop. They do keep talking. They want to tell me their next story. But I have my fingers in my ears and I’m muttering, “I’m not listening. I’m not listening.”

Why? Because it’s hard to stop the story and the characters. And if their first story doesn’t sell, I don’t want to start their second because I hate to stop in the middle. Actually, I started their story, and I’ve left the MC in a very bad place. I really want to go back and rescue him, but it takes a lot of emotional energy and I’m not sure I want to commit unless I can finish it. And besides there are the costumes and the closet and the gardening... What? (Fingers come out of my ears.) The MC did what? You’ve got to be kidding. Sorry, gotta go. The story’s calling.

5 comments:

  1. I've heard that siren's call before! It's hard to say no. Oh, well, costumes will get done. That's what I kept saying about my garden this year, which never got done.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh, how true are your words!
    Whenever I complete something I'm working on I feel so out of place, its a "what now?" moment. invariably it ends with me moving on to two projects for a short time until one wins out over the other and I have a point of focus again. Congrats on finishing. Good luck staying away!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Haha, that happens to me a lot. Especially when I have something to draw. "Come finish me!" is the plaintive call that my heart hears coming from the abandoned sketch pad....ok, a little melodramatic, but same difference.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hmm... A spammer...?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ah yes, you just reminded me of that initial giddy feeling of finishing a writin project... then the strange out of place feeling that follows. Then, have you got this far? - the doldrums of realizing how much revision is needed.

    ReplyDelete