After last week’s post about my reading of the non-fiction book Empire Adrift, I had some comments that I should write a novel with that setting and I have to say thanks for the encouragement! I pitched a (very vague) idea for a Regency romance set in Rio to my Harlequin editor and got the go ahead, so yay! I have a few books to write ahead of it, but look for it in (maybe) 2013…
And what am I reading this week? I am reading a wonderfully fascinating travel book, Ina Caro’s Paris to the Past: Traveling Through French History By Train. Caro has a great method of travel–25 easy day trips from Paris that trace the development of French history from the building of St. Denis in the early Middle Ages to the transformation of Paris by Baron Haussman and Napoleon III in the mid-19th century. She moves from places like Chartres and Reims as well as places I haven’t heard of (like Blanche of Castile’s fortress at Angers) to Renaissance chateaus like Blois and Chambord, Versailles (of course), Paris sites like the Carnavalet and Conciergerie, and Malmaison. I now have several more places on my To Visit list for the next time I’m in Paris, and I love her method of organizing a visit in historical chronological order (which could work wonderfully for England as well!)
So even though I’m stuck at home working on deadlines at the moment, I can pretend I’m in Paris or Rio or anywhere else my daydreams take me! What are you fantasizing about this week??
I’ve been busy preparing for a writers’ retreat this weekend, preparing leftover meals for the family, baking my go-to oatmeal cookies (taking half, leaving half with the family to keep them in charity with me), getting a new laptop to replace the one that died a few years ago (my multi-draft writing takes a toll on technology), and generally getting psyched.
I always come out with fresh ideas and often a big jump in the wordcount for my mess-in-progress. However, I learned during the earlier retreats that success doesn’t come from pushing too hard. It’s a good idea to think about goals beforehand, but once there, I just trust the process and let myself enjoy it. I won’t check wordcount or the clock, or check if I’m on track. I just enjoy my friends, the lake and the story, wherever it goes. If I get stuck and the writing ceases to be fun, I switch gears. I go for a walk, I paddle on the lake, I meditate. If one of my friends isn’t busy, we may brainstorm. Or I might even take a nap! I go with the flow and something always works.
