Tuesday, February 28, 2017

IWSG: New Beginnings . . .

The Insecure Writer's Support Group is a community of writers who share ideas and encourage other writers. It's a great place to express doubts and concerns as well as offer and receive tribulations and guidance from other writers. IWSG posts the first Wednesday of every month. I think you'll find it to be a great writer's resource that's well worth your time. Be sure to stop by and visit with some of the other IWSG writers/bloggers at IWSG Members.

A great big thank you to our awesome March Co-Hosts:
Tamara Narayan
Patsy Collins
M.J. Fifield
Nicohle Christopherson

New Beginnings:

February turned out to be a fabulous, beautiful, warmer than normal month in the south.  The weather has been unbelievably nice - mid-70's in February?  Thank you, Mother Nature!   Spring arrived a month or so early, although I'm sure we'll have more chilly weather. But for now, I'm enjoying yet another opportunity to witness the rebirth of the land as everything responds to the attention lavished upon it by sunshine and warm temperatures.  Flowers are blooming, grass is turning green again, trees are budding, and birds are nesting while sharing their sweet melodies with the world.  

This morning, I spent a few minutes sitting on my deck sipping my coffee while enjoying the re-emergence of Spring, and my thoughts turned to new beginnings.  Mother Nature renews our land every year - a "do over" - a new beginning so to speak.  Why shouldn't I do the same?  My current w-i-p continues to elude me. . . in other words, I just can't seem to reel it in.  All my efforts to complete it have hit a roadblock of one sort or the other.  It's not "writer's block" - it's just not "working", not feeling "right", not clicking into place.  Why?  I'm really not sure, but I've decided it's time to set it aside for awhile and like Mother Nature embrace a new beginning.  Another story idea has been tickling my brain for awhile now, and I think it's time to give it a shot and see where it goes.  I'm not abandoning my w-i-p forever .. . just giving it a rest for now.  Maybe later, I'll find the inspiration I need to do it justice & give it a rebirth.  For now, I need to feel the joy of writing that starting a new project often brings.  I need a new beginning.

Has this ever happened to you?  Have you ever set aside a w-i-p and then successfully revived and completed it later?  I welcome any advice you can give as I'm feeling a little "guilty" with my characters screaming "abandonment" in my head.  It's frustrating, but I know that unless I can get around this "roadblock" I'm hitting, none of us are going anywhere.

My situation goes along with the March IWSG Day Question: Have you ever pulled out a really old story and reworked it? Did it work out?

I don't think I've ever "reworked" an old story although I have "reused" a couple.  I'm sure I tweaked a word here or there.  I'm hopeful I'll be able to revive the story I'm setting aside for now and make it work when the time is right.  Meantime, I'll enjoy a new beginning.


2 comments:

Nancy Gideon said...

Sometimes taking a 'side trip' is the perfect way to help you find your way to the road you've been traveling. A creativity vacay! Just don't forget where you parked your other project!

Sandra Hoover said...

I won't! Thanks, Nancy. I'm feeling a bit inadequate right now . . . but I know it's part of the process. Many thanks to being an inspiration to writers at every stage of their game.