Breakable breakable girls and boys

Hey people. Thinking about lots of creative stuff today- characters, visual art, life etc.

On the writing front- well, technically I haven't been on the front lines much lately. I revised that whole manuscript, began a sequel (a couple different times), began revising another ms, all the while kind of back burnering the whole thing, waiting to hear from AgentCoolAssChicka.

I was going with- "I did the work. I put it out there. I'm waiting to hear. It's out of my hands."-- and in the meantime finances dictated that I get in higher gear with my visual art career. (The only one I'm getting paid for so far.)

Well, It's been 6 months, and I'm sick of waiting. I think it's time I moved on. This little hiatus from writing, while weird, I think has been good. I was SO invested in that ms and those characters. I really got into a "clap if you want Tinkerbell to live" mentality where it just seemed like everything rode on it.

Now after all these months I've detached a bit and realize that alchemy to create real characters is in ME. There will be other characters I fall in love with, other stories that feel like they need telling. This isn't to say I'm abandoning that project-- I still think it's a decent novel, but I think now I'll be able to move on to brand new things without being distracted by those ghosts.

I need to get back to writing every single day though. And to start querying again.

The temporary lag in my writing has been good for my art too. Before I was so immersed in the writing-- even having dreams about the characters and story lines-- that I felt a little disconnected from the art, like I was making myself do it.

Now it's kind of talking to me again. People who don't do art might not get this but there are times when you're doing it and yeah, you're doing it- bending the steel, welding etc, but there's something else going on too. All these thoughts go through your head about what you're working with, like as the piece takes shape it's trying to teach you something that's about more than "pretty", something bigger. At those times you begin to work more fluidly, trying not to question or hesitate too much. It feels like the art is just flowing through you from somewhere else.

I know, sounds nutty and new age-y, but that's how it feels. The art that results is more spontaneous and has a certain quality people pick up on and respond to.

Someday I'd love to find a balance, where I feel equally plugged in to both the writing and the art, and both just kind of pour out and are well received.

Hey, it could happen. ;)