That’s pretty much the theme around my house these days. You see, I’m in the middle of final edits for The Lost Branch (oh, yes I am!) and have been spending pretty much all day, every day in front of the computer for weeks. My children and husband have learned pretty quickly when not to disturb me. When I’m deep in a scene, the last thing I want to hear is a blow-by-blow account of the most-recent way my son got killed in Minecraft.
So here’s how it works. I fall into a deep hole (otherwise known as the current scene) and completely forget the real world exists. I’m not aware of my surroundings and don’t really hear people talk to me. (WHY are they trying to talk to me??) I’m not even aware of me. It’s the story and only the story.
When I wrap up that scene, I slowly peek my head out of the hole. I blink and look around as if to say, “What’s all this?” Sometimes I come out of that hole to discover I’m starving and really need to go to the bathroom.
Then I make the rounds. I go over to my husband (who’s an artist and also works from home) and give him a kiss and a squeeze and let him talk to me for a while. I go chat with the kids and see what they’re up to. If it’s dinnertime and my turn to make dinner, I’ll do that. (Read: I go pick up a pizza.)
Then it’s back to the next scene. If all goes well, I fall into another hole. Because that’s where the best writing takes place. That’s when I fall in love with this world and these characters and this story all over again.
I can’t wait to share it with you.
(FYI, I’ll be sending a shout out for beta readers soon, so keep your eyes open for that. If you already know you want me to send that shout in your direction, drop me a line or leave a comment here.)
Until then, happy summer!
