Goodbye Barren Wasteland

Back in January I finished my last WIP and spent about a month tinkering with that manuscript even though it was supposed to be complete. I either just wasn't ready to move on, or I knew that the piece needed more work. It's likely a bit of both.

In February, Danielle and I went on an amazing writing retreat with a few other lovely authors and I wrote 7K that weekend on a new project that I really liked the idea of. It was coming together in my head and I enjoyed writing it once I got into a groove. Over the next few weeks I tinkered with the new project, but never really got back into the mood for it. 

Which leads us to March, which was an almost barren month of writing for me. I did lots of critique reading and lots of review reading, but almost no writing at all. It killed me. It killed my mood and if you're a writer, you probably know how it feels when you have a hiatus in GOOD writing time. It's depressing and makes me doubt myself like never before. Even after having written two full books, I began to doubt my ability to write. Maybe I didn't have the skills after all. Maybe I don't have what it takes. These thoughts rolled like a slideshow through my head, wrecking havoc every time they passed through. 

Then comes Thursday, March 29th. Seems like any ordinary day on the calendar. There's really nothing that special about it. Except for me, it was the day a new idea hit me. And, it wasn't just any idea. In truth, it was hardly an idea at all. It was nothing more than a title. The thing is, though, it wouldn't let go of me. I couldn't shake that there was something good behind that title, that there was a story that I just had to write in it somewhere. I just needed to flesh it out.

I obsessed over it for the next few days and eventually had another piece of the story. A girl and her ability. But, still, that was it. I had two small kernels, and nothing more. So, I did what anyone with a great critique partner does, I called Danielle. Together, in less than ten minutes, we'd completely fleshed out this girl's story and the result is so, so, so exciting. The story that I now have in my head, is one that I'm completely consumed with and cannot wait to write. 

I love it. I love it. I love it. 

And, who knows, maybe it's not this amazing story that I think it's going to be. The thing that makes me the happiest is that I have something I'm beyond excited to write, all feels right in the world again, and most importantly, I believe in myself once more.