Writing jams and rained on dogs

This week I’ve been nose down at my computer. Working on my next book. I’ve recently set myself a new routine: check emails and messages and whether there is anything with the charity that needs urgent attention. But, resist getting into anything non-urgent. This is challenging some days, but necessary for better time management on my part. Then settle down to write for a couple of hours. Write, don’t re-read what I did the day before, or rather don’t do more than skim it. My tendency when writing, and a reason it takes me so long, is that I constantly rewrite and edit, rather than hammering on to get a solid draft done.

So at the moment I am in hammer mode. Hammering out the words, day after day. As it is only when they are out of my head and present in the world that I can improve them by crafting better sentences and bringing life to squiggles on screen.

After a couple of hours I am ready for a break and take the dogs out. It’s been a wet week and our walks haven’t always fallen in dry spells. My dogs do not like walking in the rain. Well, Albert doesn’t mind once he is out, but given a choice his sisters won’t go. With the rain sweeping in fast and unpredictably, I’ve not always got our timing right this week.

But, that has also been a positive, at least for the writing, perhaps not the dogs. Early in the week I was working on a chapter which centres around a difficult day in my family a few years back. The book covers a period of my life where adopting dogs brought happiness and a shift in how I chose to live. But that was set against enormous upset caused by a family issue. It was a major time for me and not at all pleasant.

When I finished work in the evening I wasn’t satisfied with what I’d written that day. It was bland, the words were dull, the emotion was lacking and the moment in my life I was recounting was not that at all – it was utter misery.

I was writing about an incident and how it made feel. Summoning up memories takes a variety of methods, some will work some days and on others, not. Knowing I needed to crack through the writing jam I started work early the next day. But soon hit a block again. I was unable to get the section moving. By mid morning about four sentences were down, a ridiculous amount. So, needing to shift the deadweight of stuck sentences I took the dogs out

It wasn’t raining when we left the house but it soon was. The fine drizzle quickly turned to sheets of rain and the dogs turned into inspiration. I took one photo of Cerise and that was it, I knew how I’d get the section working. She stood at my feet indignant, even a little cross at the turn her day had taken. I had hoisted her out of her cosy bed in the belief she needed to get some exercise and fresh air. She clearly saw no such necessity as soon as the raindrops fell.

The look on her face, this look…

…shook loose enough words to describe the feelings I had been trying to write about: betrayal, annoyance and disappointment in humans. Words that I rushed back home to include in the chapter. Her face exemplified how miserable I had felt in the moment I was writing about.

I am hopeful this is the year I finish this book, with the help of my canine muses.