Hello, friends of this blog!
I hope you enjoyed your summer with your loved ones! I packed away my WIP and all the research material to set off for visits with family and friends in mid-July. I usually try to take July and August off in search of rest, rejuvenation, and inspiration, and this year was no different. I’ve discovered the harder I work at writing and research throughout the year (and I worked hard!), the better the summer break. This summer was great fun, so I thought it would be easy to get organized and to return to the writing desk–not the case! I found it difficult despite getting to a place in the novel in late June where I felt good despite knowing it was not ready for an editor’s eyes just yet.
So, after unpacking and giving my home a thorough cleaning, I unpacked the manuscript, pulled out the bulging research notebooks, and bought new pens, highlighters, and sticky tabs. I bought a new calendar, moved my writing desk to a quiet corner of my living room and fired up the laptop. I did what I do every September after vacation, I tried to psych myself up to write again by rereading where I left off. I liked what I read. I edited a few pages while reminding myself not to edit too much (I am guilty of this during the writing process) because I believe it’s better to allow the writing to flow without editing. But…the words didn’t come as they usually do.
I just needed more inspiration, I told myself. So, since I hadn’t read a single book over the summer and hadn’t watched many movies, I turned to Amazon and Netflix. I searched for books and films with the topics and themes of The Laments. Of course, I found a book along with films starring Catherine Deneuve and Audrey Tautou–two of my favorite actresses. I ordered the book and unsubscribed from The Rachel Maddow Show blog to keep me focused and on task.
Did I find the perfect inspiration to finish my novel? While I enjoyed the book, I’d broken my writing “rule” to stay away from reading when I’m writing. I know nothing these days is 100% original, but reading other’s words is not helpful for me during the writing process. So, I caught up with The Handmaid’s Tale. I know, I know, but I love that series.
When I finally got fed up and remembered that nothing is promised to us, my dear friend and master writer Jack’s words came to mind, “Quit whining. Write.”
So with this first blog post of September 2019, I’m back to writing.
Happy writing and reading to you.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Puerto Rican-born Eleanor Parker Sapia is the author of the multi-award-winning novel, A Decent Woman, published by Winter Goose Publishing. Her best-selling debut novel, set in turn of the century Ponce, Puerto Rico, garnered Second Place for Best Latino Focused Fiction Book, English at the 2017 International Latino Book Award with Latino Literacy Now. The book was awarded an Honorable Mention for Best Historical Fiction, English at the 2016 International Latino Book Awards with Latino Literacy Now. A Decent Woman was selected as a Book of the Month by Las Comadres and Friends National Latino Book Club in 2015, and Eleanor is proud to be featured in the anthology, Latina Authors and Their Muses, edited by Mayra Calvani.
A writer, artist, and poet, Eleanor is currently working on her second novel, The Laments, set in 1926 Puerto Rico. When Eleanor is not writing, she tends to her garden, travels, reads, and tells herself she will walk El Camino de Santiago a second time. Eleanor is the mother of two amazing adult children and currently lives in her adopted state of West Virginia.
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