Quote of the Day:  To travel is to live. Hans Christian Andersen 

Travel is never a matter of money but of courage. Paolo Coelho

Today is another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. You can also visit the founder Alex J. Cavanaugh for more info and links.

Question of the Month: For how long do you shelve your first draft, before reading it and re-drafting? Is this dependent on your writing experience and the number of stories/books under your belt.

I don’t have a regular routine for this. I’ve written only a couple novels. It’s good to give it a rest, though, then go back to it with new eyes. I read through what I have of my current WIP before I took my road trip. The setting is similar to the road trip that I was on, so I took notes and tons of photos. After I returned, I thought of ways to enhance the current story, to make changes and adjustments. Last week, I finally got back to the story, which felt like a good amount of time. I started back at the beginning, thinking more clearly about where the story was going and what readers would need to know early on. I also journaled in my character’s voice to get her reactions to places I visited.

Labyrinth at Ghost Ranch, where Georgia O’Keeffe lived and painted. Photo: Mary Aalgaard

 

Three chairs set up for sharing the view and conversation with other artists. Ghost Ranch 2021. Photo: Mary Aalgaard

 

Ghost Ranch 2021  Photo: Mary Aalgaard

I needed to visit this place myself to know its mysteries. I needed to see, hear, feel, and experience the place. Then try to describe it from the POV of my character. I journaled about it last week and could really picture her there, discovering what makes it unique and inspirational to an artist she admired. 

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt: