Breakthrough!

Today was monumental in my book writing world. By monumental I mean that I got past a point in my story that I have been struggling with for a year. Yes, you read that correctly, a YEAR.

My amazing husband is studying to become a principal and took me and my computer along with him to his favorite study spot at Paradise Bakery and Cafe so he could write one of his papers and we could have lunch together. I decided to use this time to focus on getting over my tough writing block. There is one scene in my book that is necessary for relationship development and has had me frustrated the entire time. I would look at it and think to myself, is this ever going to get easier? I can't tell you how many times I wrote and rewrote the same paragraph, trying to get it to move forward. I think I needed a new location and some focus to make it happen.

We have spent the past four hours sitting at a corner booth while he writes away on his paper and I type away on my story. I have finished a record page in the past four hours, when the previous record over the past five or so years, since day one of the current version of my story, has been a paragraph or two. What was it? The environment? The company? Both? Something else? I think it is a combination of a lot of things, and whatever they are, I am thankful! Now I can move on and get to the true drama of my story. I even think I am coming up with ideas for a title! No title, however, will be decided upon until the completion of my book, because I like to find titles out of the small, random areas.

Some of you may have picked out of that last paragraph one thing: One page. One page? That isn't much! She should have gotten at least five or six pages in over the four hours she has been there! Oh, no, my dear friends! Remember, it has taken me a YEAR to get past one paragraph, so one page is HUGE! Some authors will spend an entire day and only get in one sentence. It is what it is, and the characters have a mind of their own. One that tells you what to write and when. I guess my characters were as stuck as I was, that is, until today.

With this one page comes a lot of pride and also a trace of fear. My fear, you ask? I am afraid that once I find someone interested enough in my book to pick it up for publishing, they may cut out the whole scene! Who knows what my readers will like and what they say will attract a person to my book? I know that this baby of mine will be different when it (hopefully) hits the shelves. I need to brace myself and celebrate the milestones of the minute. One day, you will be seeing my name as you walk in to a Barnes & Noble or log onto Amazon for your Kindle. One day.