Saturday, February 20, 2010

Plugging the Hydrant

3161-400lkh

“Talking is a hydrant in the yard and writing is a faucet upstairs in the house. Opening the first takes the pressure off the second.”
Robert Frost

Robert Frost is somewhat featured in Off The Moon. Of course we all know he was an exceptional poet, but if you read through some of his quotes, you see that he was also a man of much common sense and intelligence with wonderful advice for living as well as writing.

My luster and drive for throwing myself into my stories and essays has been waning. At the same time, I’ve been throwing myself into reconnecting with old friends and talking with new and trying to keep up with everyone’s goings on. I enjoy it. Honestly. However, it has become that hydrant that’s such a danger to writing.

I’ve realized that for some time but expected I could find a way to balance it. So far, that hasn’t happened. My writing isn’t going where I want it to go. My chatting (partly with promo as an excuse) is becoming more predominant than my work. And a recent event has made me step back and realize I need to reconfigure.

I started writing back when I didn’t have enough communication. It was a constantly running faucet that relieved the emotional valve. It made for full, vivid stories packed with meaning and sub-meaning because all of my repressed thoughts came out in my work. Now, too often, they come out during chats and ramblings and it releases too much of that pressure I want in my work.

So, if I’m not around the lists or social networks much for a while, you can find me here – hopefully with better and deeper entries – and in my books. I have two I want out this year. They need my attention and my intensity. I also have a couple of other projects that have been on the back burner: projects that I believe will touch more people than I can with my little here-and-there ramblings.

I’m spread too thin. I need a narrower base of operations. This blog will be the main source. There’s also my quarterly newsletter (sign up is on my website). If you comment here or in my guest book, I’ll be around to answer. I can’t guarantee that elsewhere. Some of my miscellaneous projects will either be closing or transferred to others. The holes leading to water leaks need to be welded and the most important things I need to say are in my work.

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As for actual news:

Today is the release date for Classic Romance Revival’s “Cupid Diaries” anthology for romance lovers. My story “Toward The Sky” is included for their premiere issue. As it relates to Off The Moon, I’ve sent it about as promo for the novel and have received some very nice comments. Find the anthology here: Cupid Diaries: Moments in Time

“Fiction is to the grown man what play is to the child; it is there that he changes the atmosphere and tenor of his life.”
Robert Louis Stevenson

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Happy Birthday, Grandpa. May I be able to leave as beautiful a legacy as you did.

4 comments:

Stephanie Burkhart said...

It's all about balance, Loraine. It's easy for me to say, but I feel the same way in that I feel spread thin. Not necessarily from social networking (though that does take up time) but it's a challenge balancing work, being an older mother of young sons, and writing, a passion, I can't put aside.

I love Robert Frost. He uses words in such an easy way and he really connects with me on a deeper level than most. His poems are visual, painting wonderful word pictures, such as the quote you used. It's a word picture we can all identify and say, "Hey, that makes sense (in a werid way)"

Smiles
Steph

Unknown said...

LORAINE--what an interesting comparison. Yet, I can identify. Most of my prolific writing took place in a three-year span, and since then, it has slowed to a drip. It seems I can't do two things at once--I should either just write, or talk to people on-line. What I wouldn't give for an entire week all alone.But then, I'd be lonely. Ah, well, as Steph said--balance is the key. Celia

Linda Banche said...

Great comment, Loraine. I understand what you mean. I find that nowadays I spend way too much time doing promoting and the writing takes a back seat.

If you'd like another blog award (you don't have to take it), I've listed you for the "Happy 101 " award on my blog. http://lindabanche.blogspot.com/

LK Hunsaker said...

Steph, agreed, but the scales have been tipped too far to one side recently so it'll take time to adjust that. ;-) I'll be around, just less often.

Celia, I think lonliness can be incredibly good for a writer as long as it doesn't go too far, but some need different amounts of it than others! My head is so full of everyone else's thoughts, I'm having trouble finding my own. That's never a good thing - or maybe it is temporarily, but it's time to sift.

Linda, thank you. :-) I'll look and see what's involved. I appreciate you decorating my blog with awards!