My Mission Statement

I write to serve, to unite, to educate. I write to share literature and flesh out ideas that may be of interest to others. I write to document an emotion, experience, or a blip in time. My mission is to write in such a way that the reader is reminded that we can find humor in all situations. It's one of the great blessings of life.


Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Back to Life Back to Reality after Chautauqua

Is it inevitable to tumble down into a valley after a mountaintop experience? Reality is just so REAL, you know? Yesterday I received another big, fat rejection to a query, which was fine, I cleaned toilets, again, fine, and did a bunch of laundry. I'm not complaining because those things are reality but I did begin to see how your brain gets jumbled up with that kind of crap (for which you don't really need your brain), and it's hard to think about writing. I need to learn how to turn that stuff on and off in my head, so it doesn't torment me, you know?

I think I'm going to work on magazine work until NaNoWriMo which I pledge to do this year. Anyone want to join me on that? I think it would be fun to have some co-NaNoWriMo friends. Anyone who wants to do it with me, leave a comment and we'll get a band together.

Today I will be writing (drumroll, please) a grocery list, a letter to my daughter at camp, a critique to a member of my critique group, and a menu for what I'm going to cook for company who comes tomorrow. Ta da! But that is writing all the same, is it not?

For once in my life, I have all these wonderful people willing to read and consider my manuscripts but now nothing seems good enough for their eyes. I don't even want to rework anything pre-Chautauqua because I know I can do better. My mentor said that's silly, that I should never just pitch anything, not that I would delete anything, but that's the place I'm in. Any Chautauquans in the same mindset?

I feel like I'm in therapy and you all are listening intently, my faithful shrink. I'm dying for you to speak, to answer, to liven up this post, but there you sit, silent. So the longer I ramble, the worse it gets, just because I have nothing else to say. So I think it's time for me to get off this dead horse for now. And I'll connect with you later. If you found this post painfully boring and misdirected, then I succeeded in letting you in to how I feel today. xoxox

4 comments:

Dorothy said...

P.S. I forgot to say, yes, I've been thinking I'd like to try that Nano thing. I believe it might be wise to figure out a story I want to tell first or I'll spend the whole month on the first chapter. Put me on the list and I'll see what happens.

Dorothy said...

Interesting. I looked back to see if any others had commented and found no trace of that long one I wrote today. I saw it up as dorothy said...so don't know where it went. Sorry.

Diane said...

I'm here now, would have been here before, but I was in Chicago and away from the internet all weekend and then came home to a terrible storm and no power until this moment... looks like I missed out on your highs and the subsequent low but let me just write here, right now, please don't let reality trample the dream. Yes, it's no longer the ONLY thing on your agenda and now you're surrounded by people who have many OTHER things on their agendas but it's still your dream and a worthwhile, attainable one. Smiles and hugs, Donna. We all understand. And now you cannot forget it completely and neither can we because it's here, just waiting to be visited again on your blog.

Anonymous said...

I always hate coming back to reality too. Don't worry, you'll get inspiration as you're folding 5loads of laundry today. And if not, it will come to you as you rest your head this evening. Maybe just revisit one manuscript even if it's just in your head for now. Rest and take it all in.


Isabel by Donna Jones Koppelman

Isabel by Donna Jones Koppelman

Major Bear at the Grove Park Inn by Donna Jones Koppelman

Major Bear at the Grove Park Inn by Donna Jones Koppelman