Friday, November 4, 2011

Rage Against the Dying of the Light


Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
~Dylan Thomas

Fall is still having it out with Summer, vying for whose turn it is to shine. We've had some mornings where it's freezing when I put my children on the bus, but by afternoon, they've shed jackets for temperatures in the 70s and 80s and come running into the house squawking about how "hot" it is.

I crank up the heaters when I roll out of bed and by midday, I'm sweating bullets and turning them all down, if not off. By next morning, I'm cold all over again and adding socks to my wardrobe, even if I'm planning to be in the house all day.

There's a blanket of golden orange and russet on my lawn. The trees stand proud in their state of undress and until Wednesday, these roses (pictured above) were weathering the temperature spikes with the stubbornness of a mule- determined to show off their pretty dressings just one more time before Fall and Winter put them to sleep for months. Not even the frost deterred them or killed their will to survive. Nope...

Dressed in satiny soft petals, they shivered on those freezing mornings, raging against the dying of the light, indeed! I finally decided if they were that determined, I would rescue them. Safe in a vase, nestled together, their skirts are blossoming and they will finish their dance, at least for this story.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's been a while, I know. Since the last blog post I've been busy. I received my first round of edits, and there were quite a few things to work on. The great thing about writing- I'm constantly learning about myself as a writer, about my strengths and weaknesses and learning how to build and mold them to my advantage. It takes perseverance and determination in this business, much like my roses striving to bloom amidst bitterly cold temperatures. I'm dressed in MY strong will and thick skin, baring my soul in the written word rather than the freezing cold, but just the same, I'll do so with stubborn determination to get my dance in. Others must examine and pick the bones, help remove what doesn't work and sometimes you have to build new foundations and add support beams to help smooth it into a work of art that can stand on its own. So far, so good. I have a wonderful editor who is helping make it the best it can be.

So, I spent my time taking care of that through the end of October and got it back to my editor. I still keep thinking about NaNo, but instead of worrying about it, I'm giving myself permission to be okay with the fact that I'm not participating this year so I can concentrate on more important things. Yesterday I decided that in the "between time" of edits, I'm going to pull the unfinished WIP forward and work on it to get it closer to being done.

Then, perhaps I'll give myself a month, my own personal NaNo, sometime after the beginning of 2012 to write the 4th and final in that series. I'm not sure what the next project will be after that, though I know I'll have a lot of work ahead of me when it is time to start promoting Castaway Hearts next spring.

Looks like it's going to be busy from here on in, as this tends to be the busiest part of the year anyway, what with decorating and cooking and family gatherings for the holidays. I can't wait. I have so much to look forward to, I've got the tingles.

Happy Friday!
Write On!

4 comments:

Teresa Reasor said...

Taryn:

Also, give your self permission to write crap. Because that relieves the pressure too.
Nora Roberts said, "You can't fix a blank page." And I've learned that if there's something there to work on the trip is so much smoother.
I'm so pleased for you that you've finished your edits and ready to take on another project.
Write on,
Teresa R.

Unknown said...

Hi Taryn,

My weather, too, struggles between summer and fall, throwing in a few days that feel closer to winter *shivers*. We turn the clocks back this weekend, making the dark hours longer. A good time for writing, really.

I, too, just turned in edits to my editor and feel a bit lost without a definite project in front of me, even though I promised myself some time to relax. Take time for yourself, if you need it, and enjoy the approaching holidays.

Cherie Marks said...

On one hand it's so helpful to have someone else who's a little more experienced give a discerning eye, but on the other hand, it's a little tough to sludge through the changes. Big congrats on finishing those edits. Rest your brain. I figured out that you don't need a Nanowrimo to push yourself. Sometimes you just need a few people behind you saying, "You can do it!"

You know you have the KYRW "roses" to help you hang on and keep blooming.

Suzanne Lilly said...

It's so wonderful to hear of one other person besides me who's not doing NaNoWriMo. Better to take the time to enjoy doing what you're doing now, and do it well. This was a great post.