At times it seems as if the world has gone crazy! Reading is a wonderful way to escape, and writing is a fun way to provide book lovers with books they might enjoy. Like most authors, I like to do both but suddenly have a sense of urgency to write that I haven’t had in a while. Finding the motivation to write last year was an issue for me, and it wasn’t from a lack of projects that I had in the works. I don’t know if it was depression, frustration, or a combination of both, but I’d lost my desire to sit down and focus on anything, let alone to write.
I’ve never been one to force myself to write; that’s not to say that the writers that do sit down and write daily don’t have the right idea. They probably do; however, that doesn’t work for me. Don’t get me wrong, like most people who love to write, I did try that popular approach, and that’s where I quickly learned that method doesn’t work for me. Garbage. I produced garbage—lots of words with zero quality. Such content forced me to scrap and rewrite over and over again. Ugh. A terrible waste of time.
It took a while, but I learned to write when my mind was full—jam-packed with storylines, paragraphs, dialog, twists, ah-ha moments presented by my characters, showing me how the stories in my head should unfold. Waiting takes patience. There have been times the story in my head must not have been entirely developed yet, because when I tried to rush the process, as stated previously, I failed miserably—scrapping the worthless words. Ugh. What a waste! If I’m working with a deadline, spending time in silence, and allowing my mind to consume my characters’ thoughts, plot, twist(s), setting, POV, and theme, it helps to speed up my usual process. I think it’s because I’m purposefully consuming my mind with these things, and eventually, they have to come out! Surrounding myself with fairies that inspire me, figurines, art, or books, also help the creative juices flow. I love music, but unlike many writers find it a terrible distraction while I work.
It isn’t unusual for the urge to “hurry up and write” to hit at the most inconvenient times. Characters that nudge you to sit down and tell the world what they’re doing or share how the protagonist would handle a particular situation you’re concocting. Retrieving the story from your mind and putting it in your WIP smack in the middle of chaos isn’t always as easy as it should be. Frustration. Depression. Pandemics. Power outages, and everyone at home—equates to lots of noise. Noise, for me, is a distraction. But when the writing bug bites, you do what needs to be done; you can’t help it. It’s impossible to ignore the nudge to write and hard not to recognize the joy that writing gives back when you hit the keys, and everything is flowing as it should.
Right now, I’m working on the fourth book of my fairy series. I had other award-winning titles between books three and four, but now my fairies are calling me back. Lilly, Boris, and Jack, of course, will be in book number four, and some of the other familiar favorites will join them. In my mind, their conversations are crystal clear, and the scenery is exquisite. Laying out their latest adventure is exhilarating. It’s been swirling around in my head for the longest time and is flowing as if I turned on the word faucet. Trust me, a writer’s dream, continuous word flow. It’s an exciting time when the juice flows freely, and you can visualize new work on the horizon—a time for the author to escape the chaos of the world around them and create another book for a potential reader.
The Mischief series is a timeless chapter book series for girls and boys, independent reading second to fourth grade, first grade if you have a strong reader. There are lovely life lessons entwined throughout each book, and though it’s a fairy series, each book could be read as a stand-alone copy. The series is filled with adventures, gentle life lessons, designed to be timeless pieces, and includes a delightful character named Pearle.
Pearle brings a dose of kindness and empathy throughout the series, showing that she’s just like all the other fairies even though she has unique needs. Pearle can not walk, but she can fly with ease, and Lilly, Boris, Jack, and the others adore her. This latest adventure is challenging to write but exciting, and I’m looking forward to sharing it with you.
For additional information about The Mischief Series or my work, please visit my website amandamthrasher.com #fairyseries #chapterbooks #booksbyamandamthrasher #amandamthrasher
Copyright © 2021 Amanda M. Thrasher
