It's the first Wednesday of the month and time for IWSG! This is the brainchild of the amazing Alex J. Cavanaugh and in a nut shell, is a chance for us writers to share and encourage each other as we share our doubts, insecurities and whatever might be on our minds on this writing journey. But this isn't just a simple group. Nope. IWSG has so much more to offer. If you're curious, go ahead and head over here to find out more about it!
Special thanks goes not only to Alex but also to all his co-hosts this month: Julie Flanders,Murees Dupé, Dolorah at Book Lover, Christine Rains, and Heather Gardner!
And my insecurity this month?
Here, in the Ozarks, one of the favorite things to do in the summer is to 'go floating'. That means you grab an inner tube, head to the nearest river and spend your day letting the river take you at it's own pace. Although I love canoeing and kayaking, I can't stand floating.
It's so slow! And it's hard to steer anywhere. Of course, you can paddle with your hands and feet, and splash around a bit, but mostly, the river is in charge. Even standing up and walking the silly inner tube in the right direction doesn't get you anywhere fast.
And that's exactly what my writing feels like at that moment. I'm going down that river and doing what I can, but it doesn't seem that my efforts are getting me anywhere fast. . .at least, not for a long time still.
Patience. It's a trait I'll probably be working on mastering my entire life.
And even then, I'm betting I'll still prefer the paddles.
Can I throw you a paddle? Will that help?
ReplyDeleteJust make sure you throw well. . .I tend to be a butterfingers.
DeletePatience is THE most valuable life lesson. I'll toss you some cheese and hope you hit the rapids soon--and gain some ground quickly.
ReplyDeleteLol! Cheese would be great!
DeleteThis is a great analogy! The thought of floating probably sounds more relaxing than the actual floating. Kind of like the thought of patience isn't nearly as frustrating as having actual patience. I feel like I will also be working on this my entire life. :)
ReplyDeleteJoin the club :)
DeleteBAHAHAHA! Love the comparison! Though I am sorry your writing is floaty at the moment. Hopefully, soon you will be swimming ahead at full speed!
ReplyDeleteFull speed and right into a waterfall with my luck. How's your webpage coming???
DeleteSometimes we just have to tread water, take in our surroundings and enjoy the process. Best of luck. :)
ReplyDeletehttp://shahwharton.com
Yep, even if I don't like it, I know those are wise words.
DeleteWell, sometimes you just gotta let the river - and your writing - take you where it wants to go. Best of luck on your writing! :)
ReplyDelete- Madilyn Quinn @ NovelBrews
I guess floating down river is still better than paddling against the tide.
DeleteI was just down in Springfield and Branson, Missouri last week, which isn't too far away from there. Are all the lakes and rivers running high where you live?
ReplyDeletePatience is something we writers never have enough of. And I like the symbolism of floating down the river without being able to steer. Sounds exactly like writing.
Hope you enjoyed your trip! We had A LOT of rain this summer, so yes, everything's a little higher than usual.
DeleteI am so good at floating. I went to a water park and could have spent my whole day on the lazy river ride. My kids hated it.
ReplyDeleteBut I don't like it when my writing floats. Unless it's something good to add to the plan I created.
Oh, water parks are totally okay to float! I think the fact that we have to get the kids down the river with us on their tubes makes the entire thing more stressful. They don't grasp the concept of 'we have to get down the river by a certain time if we don't want to miss the bus' concept. Walking back would be a nightmare.
DeleteHaha! Such a cute post! Yes, I prefer paddling too. I guess we're just a bit too controlling for the "wait and see" approach. I wish you many paddles for your writing! :)
ReplyDeleteFloating sounds like exactly what I'd like to do. So peaceful and so cool!
ReplyDeleteI think I lost my patience as the kids were growing up.
ReplyDeletePatience is a virtue, but it's so hard to put into practice.
ReplyDeletePatience is so hard. I'd probably prefer the paddles to floating, too. But sometimes going with the flow will take us places we never would have been on our own, and sometimes those places are amazing. So paddle when you can, then look for something good when you can't. Otherwise we'll drive ourselves crazy.
ReplyDeletePatience is the key. I sometimes feel the same way as you and other times, I'm cruising along in my canoe. (Not a kayak. I can't stand the thought of it tipping over and my legs being trapped!)
ReplyDeleteThe thing about writing, I've learned, is that even when it feels like you're going nowhere, if you keep at it, eventually you'll get where you need to be. I never thought I'd write two first drafts in a year, but all I did was make sure to write every day when I worked on them, and both went a ton faster than I anticipated.
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely more a fan of the paddle as well, but either way, you'll get somewhere.
Oh, I so relate to this. I feel like I've been treading water all summer. Next time I go floatin', I'm bringing a paddle. :)
ReplyDelete