Making Hay

One of the things I remember most from my childhood was the colloquialism "Make hay while the sun shines". I first read it in ... Farmer Boy, I think? One of the Laura Ingles books, which were my absolute favorites from age seven to ten. I related to the heroine in some ways, namely because we lived in the country and we were required to split and stack firewood in the fall. We didn't have central heating in our house, so we had to make enough firewood to heat our home for the entire winter. We'd bundle up, get our rawhide gloves on, and Dad would tell us "time to make hay".

Aside from the menial labor part, it's a similar principle in writing a book, I've found. You have these periods where you're just so inspired and everything flows so well that it almost adds an element of panic; you have to get as much done as possible as you can before the inspiration well dries up, because these bouts of ease are so unpredictable. Who knows when everything will be so easy again? Sometimes it's a few weeks, sometimes a few months. Sometimes longer. Personally, I've never had a break between inspiration longer than a month, but the possibility is still there. Looming, casting a shadow.

Right now, I'm extremely inspired to work on my novel specifically. The last few months I've been doing fanwork almost exclusively, but a few days ago I was struck by the compulsion to start putting scenes that have been circling around my head on paper. I know why I hadn't been doing this sooner; a lot of the detail work was still undetermined, but a big part of it was that I was afraid to start.

I recognize that it's kind of silly to be afraid to start. Right now, there isn't really any risk of rebuff or failure. But I can't help seeing this whole undertaking in the long term. There is the drive to be successful- to be published. Writing a novel and everything involved with it requires a lot of time, sacrifice, effort, etc. There is also this deeper desire to share my stories, and this encompasses a wider expanse. I have these characters so firmly in my mind that I want others to know them, to care for them as much as I have. I want people to be touched and affected by the story in some way.

I don't know. Maybe this kind of desire is arrogant? Who's to say right now that my characters and their stories will be affecting? I really have only my own perspective at this moment, but I'm going to cultivate it. It would be so easy to get derailed by passing thoughts of editing and what's to come when I should really just be INUNDATED in everything related to my concept.

Part of my problem is my lack of patience; whenever I start a new undertaking/project/whatever, I'm always looking too far into the future. I got this idea for the novel and starting thinking about endgame stuff almost immediately. I need to focus on the preliminary concerns; outlining, structure, arcs. Taking the character sketches I have now and adding depth, nuance.

I mean, you almost have to treat the world itself as a character! It has a life of its own, an arc.

So long story short; I'm ridiculously motivated right now, and I'm going to ride this for as long as possible. Hermit-ing incoming!