6/30/2024 1 Comment Gone Fishing![]() Is it really the end of June? Last weekend, I took off for the mountains. I didn't work on my writing, except to contemplate a plotline while watching my fishing line. We dragged our camp chairs and fishing poles to the shore of the reservoir. It is well known that the best fishing is done here from a boat. Shore fishing is a mostly fruitless occupation. Maybe that's why we return here year after year. We don't actually want to be bothered with catching a fish. Shortly after our arrival, however, I did catch a trout. It was hardly worth the effort. Legal size to keep, but not worthy of a cheesy look-what-I-did photograph. Our younger daughter brought her new baby, a cute puppy who went wild with excitement. All the smells, the sounds, the water birds. Sophie desperately wanted a duck or pelican. Kind of like how new authors are desperate to achieve fame and fortune, or at least a wee bit of attention. We lunge at the end of our leashes, splashing our paws in that big publishing pond where we're certain we'll catch the prize. Taking a weekend off was refreshing, although I experienced moments of anxiety about not working. Now I'm back at it, preparing to submit a short story to a magazine. My eldest daughter and I are polishing a final draft of our YA novel for our young beta readers to review. I'm almost done revising my mainstream novel. Now I'm eager to start on new projects. The garden didn't suffer from our brief absence, but let us know summer is here. The planters and in-ground vegetables and flowers need water regularly. We can't rely on the spotty rain of the desert high plains and foothills. My writing requires consistency, too. If I don't work on a project for a few days, it wilts. But I also come back to it with fresh eyes. I had time, while sitting on the shore watching my fishing pole, to think about Sophie. Our daughter held her leash to prevent her from running off into danger. She couldn't reach her goal of a juicy duck. What am I doing that holds me back from achieving my publishing goals? What, actually, are my goals?
1 Comment
Fleur Bradley
6/30/2024 09:06:53 am
I can't wait to read your YA novel... Fishing sounds very peaceful, nice.
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