Thursday 1 September 2011

Restarting work on that unfinished manuscript


Some years ago, after too many rejections on my first single title attempt, Return to Baragula, I started writing another book. I had written nearly 44,000 words of it with about 20,000 to go when at last I discovered a relatively new publisher in Australia had started to release Christian Fiction. To my delight a contract was signed for Return to Baragula. I had revised it so many times, become so fond of some minor characters that they needed their own story and I started writing Outback From Baragula. Thus what was to be a single title became Book One in my Baragula trilogy and for the last few years there has been simply no time to keep writing that other manuscript.

However, the pace has slowed. Justice at Baragula and my husband’s two devotional meditations have been launched. Promotion and activities with other writers is still keeping me busy but there really is no longer any real excuse not to try and get back to writing that stalled story I have tentatively called Her Outback Cowboy.

It has been incredibly easy to procrastinate opening up this file again, searching the filing cabinet for the printed out so-far-manuscript, dragging out the folders with the research for the settings, character information, story-line, etc, etc. In fact, I have been surprised at my real reluctance to try and get back into the hearts and minds of this hero and heroine once more.

Perhaps I am finding it hard to let the characters from Baragula go.

Perhaps I am just very nervous about going through “it” all again—the writing, the editing, the rewrites, the submission process, those revisions from a publisher, those proofs to check, the promotion of a new release and so on and.

Perhaps I keep thinking of all the house cleaning that needs to be done, all those cupboards that need sorting out—including these filing cabinets that have caused me so much angst trying to find Her Outback Cowboy folders today!

Perhaps it is because today is the first day of spring and has been a lovely sunny day. I just wanted to go outside on one the rare days of sunshine we have had lately and pull up all those weeds in the garden that can hardly be called a flower garden anymore.

Perhaps I just want to help more and more our very busy daughter-in-law and son as they prepare to give us our sixth grandchild in October. I so enjoyed having the four year old granddaughter and 21 month old grandson for several hours on two days this week while their other three lovely boys were at school. And the next two weeks are school holidays for them and I’d love to spend time with them too.

Perhaps it is just simply because I am feeling lazy?
So, to prayer and the Scriptures once again for direction, for knowledge to be certain of priorities in my life the Lord wants me to have right now.

Above all, Lord, perhaps I need to simply be more self-disciplined?

Any suggestions gratefully received!

6 comments:

  1. Hello Mary, I think you are a Britton... My book is on the way with a publisher in the U.S. but I doubt I will go through it again. My mother always dreamt of being a journalist, so I am fulfilling her dream at ninty three. God Bless you Mary, "Tust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not on thine own understanding." He will strengthen and uphold you.You have done it before and this time it will probably be a lot better. I pray so. xxxxx

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  2. I'm a Britton?!! My goodness, Crystal, with all you have accomplished please don't let my "poor me" post for a moment stop you tackling another story-as long of course this is what God wants of you. The older I get the more I treasure Isaiah 40:31 "But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength: They shall mount up with wings like eagles..."

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  3. Blow the cupboards and the filing cabinet - you can fix them with a hole in the ground and a match stick!! Haha Just kidding. I'm sure the Lord will let you know what He wants. (Just secretly, I've got my fingers crossed for the new/old manuscript.)

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  4. LOL, Amanda. What do you think I've been doing the last 12 months? That's why they need rather desperate attention. But then, so does this manuscript!

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  5. Oh I know alll about that not letting your characters go, Mary. It really is hard to start again with a newbie. I'm facing that because I've finished my trilogy AND where do I go from here? So, dig in gal. Housework never lets up but as long as your not having immediate company FORGET IT!!!!

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  6. I am so looking forward to reading you new book, Rita! And the problem is in less than a week we are having overnight guests and this place is a pigsty - well almost!

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