Monday, April 12, 2010

Still Kicking, But Quietly

*****

Buddy John Towler dropped me a note, gently reminding me I'd been among the missing. I've been around, for the most part, but just not very productive. Here's an update, for anyone interested.

WRITING: NOT

I admit it. I've been in a funk. Buddy Jane calls them doldrums. Whatever they are, I'm in that period where the tank has been depleted and I need to let it refill before turning on the tap and letting it flow again.

PUBLISHING: YES

I have a new story out at Eclectic Flash right now, titled "After the Rain." Some of you are all too familiar with it, having helped me redesign it from the ground up. It's available in both print and online form here.

SLACKING OFF: YOU BETCHA

I used my not-writing time to take a vacation with my family last week. We enjoyed a fast-paced tour of St. Louis and Hannibal, Missouri. Highlights of St. Louis included: freaking out over getting into the ridiculously tiny tram cart to climb the Arch (nope, I couldn't do it); visiting Cahokia Mounds, a giant archeological site that once was home to a city of 20,000 Native Americans; solving a mystery at The Magic House, St. Louis's uber cool kids' museum; tromping and train riding at the St. Louis Zoo; and my personal favorite, oohing and aaahing over the spring bulbs and flowering trees IN FULL BLOOM at the Missouri Botanical Garden. I could have spent the whole week just basking in the scent and color.

As for Hannibal? Let's just say I'm drained from all that Twain. But the boat ride was pretty darn cool.

NOW WHAT?

Well, that's the question of the hour. I suspect I'll be back into Jamieson's Folly soon. At buddy Stephen's suggestion, I'm reading James Scott Bell's Revision and Self-Editing. And I'm signed up for Jordan Rosenfeld's Revise for Publication class. So I'll need to write something or waste my tuition.

Perhaps putting some good instruction in will bring me out of these darned doldrums.

9 comments:

Jodi MacArthur said...

Muses are such flighty things- here one minute, running away the next. I have no doubt he or she will return to you.

Your vacation sounds wonderful. Going to check out your story now.

Have fun with the writing class!

Stephen said...

If you had trouble with the size of the tram cart, you would have certainly suffered a complete breakdown on the ride. It has been twenty-plus years since I took that trip, but the thing I still remember about the cart was the constant shifting (rotating) as it ascended and descended along the curve of the arch. There was a great view at the top though.

I'm happy that you and the family were able to spend some quality time together. It sounds like it was fun.

As for the muse, I think you're on the right track. The more you engage, the more you encourage it to stop and sit a spell.

Take care,

Stephen

Greta Igl said...

Good heavens, SHIFTING???? Stephen, I had a panic attack just looking in the cart and knowing it was time to climb in.

Jodi, thanks for the encouragement. I know something will get me going again. I'm just enjoying the pause right now and allowing myself to spend more time with my family and my flower beds.

Linda said...

Muses are fickle indeed. Mine gets a time-out when she misbehaves.

Also in a novel funk, so been writing poems. April is National Poetry Month, after all ;^)

Congrats on the EF pub. But best of all, see you in Jordan's class!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Peace, Linda

... Paige said...

All of life experiences are a form of writing, you are just saving stuff for the right time.

Glad to hear from ya!

J.C. Towler said...

Congrats on the pub...going to check it out next. And Mark Twain is on my all time list...glad you got to bask in the half-life of his radiation.

I've recently been in a funk similar to the one you are going through, so I know how it is. Just read a lot and let it all percolate and when you are ready, step in the ring again.

Glad to see you are up and posting.

--John

J.C. Towler said...

Ah, I remember that one. No place to leave a comment that I could see, so I'll say here that I'm glad it found a nice home.

--John

Greta Igl said...

Thanks, John. I really liked certain aspects of that story and was so happy Eclectic Flash included it.

Greta

... Paige said...

hey stranger! hows it going?