Summer is nearly here, and for me there’s still that summer break excitement…even if I don’t really have a summer break like in school days. Maybe that idea of summer break is too deeply ingrained, but maybe it’s also in part due to how much comes up during the summer. Here in North Texas, there are concerts in various parks (some of which start up even earlier in the spring) and one of my favorites: Shakespeare in the Park. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t think of the holiday weekends that offer opportunities for grilling out, lounging in a pool, or just enjoying a free day ahead. Which also means extended reading time.
That sort of anticipation also comes to me with the start of a new story idea. Like an unstructured day, a new story idea can go anywhere. Characters might come and go, plot points might swing by for a bit – some to settle, others to go on their way. The world that’s being created is full of possibility.
It’s a great feeling.
It’s also a feeling worth remembering when the story might stall a little in the middle. By this point, I often know where I plan to end up with my story. It’s just sometimes the getting there is a narrow trail through the trees that I can’t quite see. I have that idea of how to get there, it’s just trying to make the path a little more accessible, a little more inviting, so to speak. I don’t think I’m alone when I note that sometimes that dampens the excitement a little.
But only a little. Because then I think back on my characters, about the ending I’m building towards. There’s that writerly advice about “writing the book you want to read.” That may seem obvious, but likely it seems obvious for a very good reason. Writing a novel is something one will spend hours on. And not just hours, but hours that add up to weeks and months. It should be something enjoyable! The writer should care about it, the characters and the world.
As the long hours of summer stretch ahead, I’m looking forward to getting to work on this idea and enjoying the summer things. Getting outside, enjoying that golden hour in the evenings and brighter quiet hours in the mornings.
And nothing quite says summer like blue skies and palm trees, no? Have a great summer!
