Inspiration Comes to Those Who Wait (Impatiently)

Good news: I have been writing! I will now wait patiently for your cheers of delight.

Okay. Finished? Let's continue.

The other day I had a breakthrough. My story was not working. I had plots, ideas, characters; but none of it was writing. I was so excited with the idea of "Ascent of Women," and I loved what I could do with this story, what I wanted to say. But on paper it was...flat. Boring. Unemotional. It was very distressing for me as a writer, and I found a great deal of solace in re-reading Lauren Oliver's Delirium trilogy and working a lot at Bath & Body Works so I could excuse myself from writing. I also visited my doctor, who diagnosed me with a case of allergies after treating me very gently, as if I was an emotionally unstable patient.

I cried a lot. That didn't help, but there it is.

And then, finally, the Guiding Force inside of me whispered, "Rebekah? You need to start your story later. You've started too soon."

I could have done a face palm. That's how obvious the answer was. I had started "Ascent of Women" with three of the main characters chilling. Just chilling. The first plot twist has not come into existence, and most of it is moaning and groaning about Dania's lame boyfriend forgetting that she exists.

I should not speak about my characters that way. I think that it may be against some universal bylaws for an author to call their character "lame." I will rephrase.

Most of the first chapter was moaning and groaning about Dania's boyfriend, who often forgets about Dania due to his recent soul-searching and renewed strength and interest in his religion. This worries Dania, who is very attached to her boyfriend, and does not like to feel forgotten, especially when it is by a God that Dania does not believe in. It's kind of like if your significant other suddenly finds a lifelong passion in cooking banana-related foods, but you are allergic to bananas. You are happy that s/he has found a passion, but you are distressed that you are unable to share this passion.

Which is lame, but whatever.

The problem with the first few pages is that there was no action, and I spent too much time trying to introduce...well...everyone, and in trying to introduce everyone, I introduced no one. So I cut out the first five pages and started with Dania thinking about her boyfriend during her drive to the hospital, where she is going to pick up her friend Carol. Carol, for some reason not yet explained, was kept overnight at the hospital to undergo some tests. After Dania and Carol are properly introduced, the other main characters come into play for a brief period, and the chapter ends with Dania once again thinking about her boyfriend.

I think that there's some sort of strategy playing there. Bookend? I don't know, but my history professor would probably know.

Anyway, once I got the story properly introduced, the other chapters flowed better, and I felt more confident about what I was doing.

Jack London once said, "You cannot wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club." This is true. Despite my sojourn into Bath & Body Works, doctor's offices, dystopian worlds, and my slight mental breakdown, I never stopped thinking about my characters. And because I didn't stop thinking and wondering and remembering and imagining, that wall I had built tumbled, and the Writer Voice--I call her Carla--was able to speak.

So here is my lesson for writers today: Inspiration will come to those who wait. Impatiently.