IWSG- Try a Little Tenderness

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com

Ooh, she may be weary, young girls they do get weary…

I’m dating myself with a song reference from Three Dog Night. It was a big hit in 1969, and is actually on my “car” playlist. Is it because I get weary? Probably.

There’s a good kind of weary you get when you play hard, or even work hard at something you enjoy. It’s the kind of weary that makes you happy and grateful. You fall into bed at the end of the day with a smile on your face.

But there’s a different kind of weary, the kind you get when confronted by the worst of life. Funerals, divorce, illness, friendships gone awry, betrayal. There’s not a lot to cure that kind of weary, only time.

We’ve all been on both sides and when bad things happen, and we’re searching for answers, I think we forgot one important thing. We forget to be kind to ourselves. Instead, we blame ourselves and try to push through being weary to do more.

It’s nearly impossible to write your best prose when weariness sets in. Sure, some people can really tap into how bad they feel and spew it all over the page. It’s not something I like to read so I don’t do it. If I’m exhausted, I try a little tenderness on myself.

I’m not afraid to turn off the computer and rest. When I need it, I take time to get my head back on straight. I’ve learned that if I want to write a good story, I’ve got to take care of myself. And I learned it the hard way when my husband had cancer, so I’m not just pontificating.

It’s important to me to do the best I can on each story. I’ve found that if I stay tapped in to how I’m feeling, I write better. I plot better. I set the scene better. It really pains me to spend an evening writing only to have to go back the next night and delete what I wrote. It doesn’t happen often because I’ve learned an important truth - weary doesn’t make for a good writer.

Rayne

www.rayneforrest.com

www.twitter.com/rayneforrest

Pieces of April

Sometimes I really do think I lost my mind when I decided to cram a writing career into my life. What? Like I didn’t already have enough to do? Jeez. And I’m not alone. Everyone I talk with seems to be in a similar space - a space already crammed full of things to do and people to tend see. Gainful employment has taken a more important role in life as the economy continues to waver.

But enough. It's April and sometime this month Across Time will once again be available. Across Time was the very first book I had go on sale back in 2004. It's been reworked (I write a better love scene these days) and I'm pleased with the result. And joy of joys, it will be available in paperback so I can give a copy to my mother and get her off my back. I mean it will make her happy. 

Music from the 1970’s. Is it better if you actually remember hearing the songs on AM radio? I think so. I heard a song by Three Dog Night on the radio recently and I was amazed at how well the music held up. A lot of critics wrote the band off as too lightweight, but when you hear an old song, and still remember all the words, it’s a special thing. Jeremiah was a bullfrog, but he’s the best known bullfrog in rock ‘n roll history. Gotta love that. Jeremiah got me thinking about Pieces of April. 

I've got pieces off April, I keep them in a memory bouquet.

I've got pieces of April, and it's a morning in May. 

It's a lovely, sentimental refrain, isn't it? The images it brings to mind are romantic, softly blurred. But what a wonderful thing to have special memories to carry with us. The first time Across Time was picked up by a publisher, the ebook industry was in its infancy. No one knew what to expect. Most of us thought ebook publishing was viable and it has proven to be so. Were they glory days? Not so much for me although I'm sure they were for some. I was on a steep learning curve, but it was exciting to see a book with my name on it go on sale - and a few people bought it! 

Across Time has been gathering dust on my hard drive for many years. Deciding to send it out into the world again was a difficult decision. No matter what happens, I'll have pieces of this April to carry into the future with me because the future carries us across time. 

Rayne