My writing week #4

“We can’t plan life. All we can do is be available for it.” – Lauryn Hill

Go with the flow. That’s what I had to do last week when it came to writing. After getting my second wind on Monday and typing up loads of notes for my novel, a family situation meant writing had to be put on the back-burner for a couple of days just so I could catch up on sleep. Unfortunately, later in the week, a member of our extended family passed away. At times like these, when you are reminded of the frailty of life, comfort and support takes precedence.

The experiences I had during the week opened the way for another short story, as yet untitled, which I’m hoping to submit to another competition. Setting aside the novel, I poured my effort into the short story yesterday afternoon. It’s set in a hospital waiting room – a strange inspiration, perhaps. The idea came to me about 2am when I was sitting in the emergency room with a loved one earlier in the week; at the time, I grabbed my notebook and started scribbling notes (I was awake anyway). Now, I’m about half-way through the first draft. It was with reluctance that I left my writing desk to get ready for the day job this morning.

I’m not sure if this week will prove any more productive. We have a funeral to attend and a number of other personal commitments. That’s life, right? Sometimes, life and writing work like polar opposites … but if you look hard enough, you might just get some inspiration.

In case you missed it, I shared an excerpt of my Rocky Romance submission called “The Point of Love” on this site. You can read it here. The story has now been sent in to the publisher. I also sent in a short story called “Valiant Return” for a competition – it felt good to kiss it goodbye and hope it makes its mark.

Finally, here are some of the pictures that didn’t make it to last week’s Midweek Moment post (a creative photography collaboration with Perth author, Louise Allen). My favourite is the budding apricot – the way it’s bursting into life reminds me of those moments when a story awakens in your mind.