Refilling the Well

For the past month, I’ve written little other than blogs. Oh, a sentence here, a paragraph there. I have three works-in-progress, yet I can’t seem to stay focused on any of them. One came back from my freelance editor with strong suggestions for change. I set it aside because of family events. (I promised not to mention the happy event at the beginning of August again.)

I have been reading more. Not procrastinating, though. In reading other works, I’m filling up my imagination. (That’s my story and I’m sticking with it.) I read to see how other authors create their characters, develop those characters; how they describe the character’s surroundings; how they show emotions. Unfortunately, I’ll start examining structure then get so caught up in the story that I forget to pay attention to plot development or anything else. It’s better for me to reread a favorite book. I’m also trying to examine why a book doesn’t appeal to me so I can avoid that.

It’s the same with movies. I love movies. No surprise there. LOL Or television shows. What makes me return after the pilot episode and what turns me off? Sometimes it’s hard to tell. The premise may be intriguing, but if I don’t like the main character I won’t continue to watch. He can be irascible yet give him a hint of vulnerability and I’ll give the show another chance. One recent show I haven’t decided on yet is Legend. I’m not fond of the roles Sean Bean has portrayed—the first I recall was Patriot Games. He was a convincing villain. The same in Golden Eye and National Treasure. So it’s hard to envision him as the hero. Yet something in this new role, something in his portrayal of a man who has been undercover too long makes me want to see where the story will go.

As I continue to read, watch movies and television shows, I’ll work my way back into my own WIPs. Leaving my current work—the one I thought I would release in August—at least for a while, may be the best option. When I return to it, it will be as if it’s new and I’ll see my way through on how to fix it. Meanwhile, I’ll get back to the newer ones.