07/10/2024
In 2020 I started writing my fourth novel. I remember that time well, like it was yesterday. I was at my house in St.vincent. The environment was ripe for writing - relaxing and motivating. The usual essence of nature surrounded me. The butterflies fluttering in my garden, the birds chirping in the fruit trees nearby, and the rhythmic sound of the nearby stream, flowing serenely towards the ocean. I wrote day and night with a compulsion foreign even to me. I am known to be obsessive when in the trolls of my writing. I would take a break just enough to eat something and return to my den and write late into the night. I also have a story map file to keep me on track. It consist of the following things:
The names of my characters
who are they?
What is the story about?
How does the story end?
It also consist of a host of research questions, which contributes to the authenticity of a historic fiction novel.
All of a sudden I heard about Covid and the world was lit on fire about this crazy virus. I remember changing my flight and rushing back to New York. I was fearful of being locked down in St.Vincent. I arrived back in the New York just as the virus started getting out of control. Soon after returning, my job managing an IT team on a hybrid schedule, shifted to fully remote. I worked from home fully remote for the next four year before retiring earlier in 2024. I never touched my novel. I worked on other projects for other writers, but I just never returned to writing my own novel.
Immediately after retirement my mother took sick and subsequently died. For a while I focused on making peace with her passing. But eventually, I realized I needed to take advantage of my retirement and not get stuck in a depression. It would take a while to make peace with her passing, but I have to find a way to manage my grief. To push myself into a better mood, I remember thinking of all the things I could do at my own pace. I can sleep as late as I want to. As president of my local Civic association, I can dedicate more time to community affairs, go to the gym, garden, walk my dog and cook whenever I feel like it. But I was missing something on the creative side. I needed to get back to my writing. I pulled out my laptop and there was my book file. But I was missing something crucial. When I write I also keep an additional file with questions, notes and an outline of my story, call a map file. This file usually consist of the things mentioned above. I scratched my head, trying to figure out where my map file was. Then suddenly I remember I bought a new laptop and transferred the book file to it a year ago; but I must have forgotten to transfer the map file. I found my old laptop, but couldn’t find the charger, and the laptop was dead. I checked my daughter’s laptop charger, and luckily It was a fit. Thankfully, I found the file. I have to spend the next two days refreshing myself on the direction of this novel. Then I plan to immerse myself in writing and completing this novel. I am sure I would have a few spells of writer’s block. But when that happens, I’ll take a break until It clears like it always does.
