Laura Drewry, Guest Blog

Hi, everybody:

Occasionally, I'm going to have a guest blogger - friends, fellow authors, anybody who I think you might find interesting. My friend Laura Drewry is the guest blogger today. Her book, Charming Jo, is out this month and she's a great writer - if you're interested in checking it out further, check out her website at www.lauradrewry.com and if you want a chance to win a copy of her book, it's one of the prizes at my website this month at www.kateaustin.ca.

Heeeeere's Laura!

Kate



It's happened again. I'm afraid to look at my WIP.


Here's the situation:


A few months ago, we decided to move. Moving is hideous at the best of times, but we've been very spoiled the last few times because the company has done it all for us, so all I had to do was sit back with my large double-double and watch it all happen. Not this time. To make matters worse, the DH was super busy at work - and actually away for the two weeks prior to the move - so it was basically me and the boys doing the grunt work. Needless to say, the writing got pushed aside as we rushed to get everything packed and loaded in the trucks. We've been in the new house for 2 weeks now and we're still not completely settled in. Where did all this stuff come from?? And why didn't we sell it all before we left Yellowknife? LOL Anyway, the point is, between the move, getting the kids settled in school, and enjoying the family we are now surrounded by again, the writing has yet to inch its way forward from the proverbial back burner.

This is Not Good.

So I made the decision that come hell or high water, I was going to start on Monday. I don't care anymore if all the pictures are hung, if the dust-collectors are still waiting to find the perfect shelf, or if there's still boxes that need to be sorted and organized in the crawl space. Come Monday, I'm going to get back into my writing routine. Period.


Sounds good, right? Yeah. Right.


The mere thought of it is making my stomach churn. What if my WIP sucks? What if I hate it more than liver? What if I open the file and discover I have no business writing blogs, never mind novels? What if I can't do it anymore?


Writing friends are very supportive about this; they tell me to take my books off the shelf and sit them in front of me so I'll have actual physical proof that I *can* write, but that's not helping. My new book, Charming Jo, hit the shelves this month and I have to admit, I love that story. It was so much fun to write, and the heroine, Jo, made it a joy to sit at the computer every day. So while that's all good, it's a little overwhelming, too. Last month, when I was actively working on my WIP, I felt the exact same way about my characters. I mean, what's not to love - the heroine is the devil's daughter! But now I'm terrified to start them up again because I worry I've lost the zone I was in. Yes, the logical side of my brain recalls feeling the same way about Jo and Levi when I had to put them on hold over Christmas, but still. . . . .

The logical side of my brain also knows this: come Monday morning, when I sit my butt down and start typing, the fear will disappear as fast as my first cup of coffee. It's happened before, and I'm pretty sure it'll happen again. I know I'll get past it, I know I'll find the zone again and fall head-over-heels in love with the characters all over again, but until that moment, until I actually sit down and rediscover them, I'm terrified. Completely and utterly terrified. LOL I don't know if any other writers have this same issue, or if I'm committing some huge faux pas by admitting it out loud, but there you have it. Maybe by saying it out loud I'll be better able to find my happy place and get past it. Regardless, any any happy thoughts you'd like to send my way would be greatly appreciated.

Laura
www.lauradrewry.com