In the long hiatus from this blog, I have been working on several story ideas. The main goal has been to complete the second in the series of three books about Sappy, the little red oak sapling as he experiences the changing seasons in Minnesota. Or Wisconsin, Michigan and anywhere else the red oaks grow.
I can’t lie. It was tougher to write the second book. As I wrote the first story, “Dewdrops to Raindrops, A Drip’s Trip to Make Sappy Happy”, the words literally flew from my fingertips like lightning from a cloud. I had formed the outline of the story in my brain for so long that it was a snap to put into words. This story, from the beginning of autumn to early winter, took longer to write. And more effort.
What I had to do with this manuscript was schedule time to write. If you aren’t currently purposefully setting aside writing time, I encourage you to do so. In my case, I had to plan meals ahead of time, let the laundry wait another day and the dust bunnies grow a bit larger. In other words, I had to give myself permission to let some things go so I could focus on letting the second story grow. Oooh, I kinda like that! Let some things go so other things can grow. You heard it here first, folks!
As always, just write the first sentence. However, if the subsequent sentences are slow in forming, you know what to do. Take the time, make the time to write. No multitasking. Just focus on writing. Or illustrating. Or editing. Or promoting. Or working on your blog.
Meet Sappy, Dropsy, and the Crew 