I sit here this evening listening to the quiet room. The son is in the doctor's office and the other parents are reading or watching the kid's movie on the TV. I love the hour I get while Joe is in his appointment to write. I was so excited over the quiet hour I was going to have that night to work on Chapter Eight and get started on it so that it flows fast. Yet, here I sit with my blank page to fill up and no idea how I actually want to proceed with Chapter Eight. I have plotted out the core of my book in my head to the point that I dream of my characters and their story and yet as I start this new chapter the action seems to have stalled a bit.
After a while of thinking, of writing in my journal instead, of just daydreaming, I look down at my still blank page and noticed that I had started doodling on my page. Many times when I am on the phone having a long conversation I will doodle little stories and pictures. If the business meeting I am in is running long and you look at my notebook you probably would find that along with the notes I have taken are little pictures and words lining the side. I tend to doodle when I am lost in thought.
That is exactly what was happening to me this evening. Yet, as I looked at the pictures on the page I felt more relaxed for sure. When I doodle my mind tends to wander. It is my way of reaching a zen state apparently because I felt more relaxed as I looked down at my blank page again and then suddenly the thoughts started to flow and I was able to start Chapter Eight. Along the lines of feeling zen I remembered a quote from Lao Tzu, "When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be." This is a great way of explaining what I realized, and quite poetic.
I had to relax and stop thinking of my characters because they were almost too ingrained into my thoughts and planning their actions then became like a hill that grew overnight and became to large to climb as easily. So I found my own way of relaxing, I started doodling. It freed me from the lives of my characters long enough to relax and breath and then see them clearer. They had become too close for me to see clearly and after stepping back and relaxing the story then was able to appear before me again. In fact, my relaxed doodling has made it so that I am able to more clearly define what I want to happen with my story.
So as I sit in the waiting room of the doctor's office I finally was able to discover the next part of the story. I discovered more plot and character definition and description that I suddenly felt a tap on my shoulder and a little eleven year old say, "Mom are you ready to go yet? I have been standing here forever." That is the art of the doodle. I rediscovered my zen and cleared my head and breathed and the result was the continuation of the story. Chapter Eight is shaping under my fingers nicely so far. Plus, we are so close to the main action and "The Event" that will define much of the story. I tease you with that fact though. That will be discussed more later. For now, I say enjoy your day and don't forget to practice your doodling.
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