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May 28, 2007
Hope Wears Feathers
I was in Los Angeles for a week for a (nearly) annual critique session with my beloved Write Sisters -- at least, most of them. As soon as I finish my laundry, I'll post a photo of me with Tricia Gardella, Helen Ketteman, Mary Nethery, Ann Whitford Paul and the wonderful hooray-for-the-Newbery-Honor gift from all my Sisters (Dian Curtis Regan and Vivian Sathre couldn't be with us). How lucky can I be to have such good friends/sisters who are also brilliant writers?
While I was gone, "it" happened. Four perfect little eggs cracked open to reveal four precious chickadee chicks. Neil kept a close eye on them for me while I was away, carefully watering the edges of the fuschia basket to avoid getting the nest damp. Now, four noisy little mouths keep their mama (and daddy?) hopping. We spent the whole evening last night watching the feathery comings and goings. Before we know it, those babies will be ready to fly.
This whole situation is the perfect metaphor for writing. While we are working on one thing, something amazing springs to life somewhere else -- perhaps in a new scene, a new chapter or a new book. I love the way our minds, distracted by the plot problem in chapter seven, suddenly hatch new life for the opening or the ending of our latest book.
Even though I was disappointed not to be here for the unveiling of our newest "renters," the episode was the ultimate reminder of what writing is all about. New stories can't wait for us to be in just the right spot to be hatched. We have to be ready, no matter what, for the words to come. We have to weave those nests, working day in and day out, to be ready for the story to tick-tick-tick through the shell we create.
Even if you have only fifteen minutes, show up at the page. If you don't, those stories will hatch and be gone without your having any opportunity to show them how to fly.
Posted by kirby at May 28, 2007 08:45 PM
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