Ceara Comeau's Blog: Lessons From A Struggling Writer - Posts Tagged "path"
Make Your Own Door
I’ve had a lot of time to think about this month’s blog post. This is mostly due to the fact that I didn’t really know what to write about until now. See, this month’s been rough for me. In the beginning, I was doing great with book-related stuff and I was actually making a schedule (of sorts) so I could get everything done on time. But this month gave me an unpleasant surprise that totally threw my system off. I got into a car accident—in my driveway of all places. And unfortunately, I sustained bruises that I’m still trying to heal from. To throw my book system out of whack, even more, I’m also still dealing with insurance stuff and trying to get my car fixed.
So, yeah, I guess you could say this was a very tough month for me. I had to redo my already shaky schedule, not to mention catch up on everything I fell behind on. This past weekend, I was venting to my husband about all my struggles (which obviously he already knew). I remembered telling him that lately every door I’ve tried to open to get further in my book career has either slammed shut or just won’t open. Then, he said to me, “Sometimes you have to make your own door.”
And you know, it hit me, “make your own door”. I realized I HAD been doing that all along. I was so focused on finding the “right door” that I neglected the door I was trying to build for myself. Maybe the door I’m building is meant to be opened by someone else, maybe even someone who can help boost my book career. The point is, I realized that it doesn’t matter where my door is at in the construction process. Right now, it’s a semblance of a door frame, but eventually, it will be exactly how it supposed to be. I just need to keep building and, with those inconvenient moments in life, maybe even rebuild.
So, yeah, I guess you could say this was a very tough month for me. I had to redo my already shaky schedule, not to mention catch up on everything I fell behind on. This past weekend, I was venting to my husband about all my struggles (which obviously he already knew). I remembered telling him that lately every door I’ve tried to open to get further in my book career has either slammed shut or just won’t open. Then, he said to me, “Sometimes you have to make your own door.”
And you know, it hit me, “make your own door”. I realized I HAD been doing that all along. I was so focused on finding the “right door” that I neglected the door I was trying to build for myself. Maybe the door I’m building is meant to be opened by someone else, maybe even someone who can help boost my book career. The point is, I realized that it doesn’t matter where my door is at in the construction process. Right now, it’s a semblance of a door frame, but eventually, it will be exactly how it supposed to be. I just need to keep building and, with those inconvenient moments in life, maybe even rebuild.
Lessons From the Characters
Choices. Even at a very young age, we all understand the general concept of choices. Sometimes they get us into trouble, and other times we’re rewarded by people or the universe. But oftentimes we forget just how impactful these choices can be to our daily lives. This is something I was reminded of just this week, in fact.
I added about a thousand words to the third book in my trilogy (yay me!). And as I was writing, I started thinking about the characters and what they represented. It was then that I realized that they represented choices. Each one, for a variety of reasons, said they didn’t have a choice in their ultimate decision. Some of these decisions were heroic and saved lives, whereas others were detrimental to the character themselves.
That’s when I started to see the lesson I needed in my own life. All too often, I find myself saying the exact same thing: “I don’t have a choice” or “I wasn’t given a choice.” The truth is, and like many of my characters discover, we all have a choice.
The farther I go along these creative avenues, the more I’m finding that the choices I need to make I really don’t like. Most of the time it’s because they feel impossible to accomplish, but they’re essential to reach my goals. The trick is to not jump to the first option that’s presented to me and weigh the pros and cons of each path.
“Well, what if you have to make a decision immediately? You won’t have time to think about a path!”
Good question, there really is no good answer to that. Sometimes, when that particular situation comes up, it boils down to your conscious and what you feel is right. Does that mean you’ll make the right decision? Maybe, maybe not, but regardless of what path you choose, all you can do is keep moving forward.
I added about a thousand words to the third book in my trilogy (yay me!). And as I was writing, I started thinking about the characters and what they represented. It was then that I realized that they represented choices. Each one, for a variety of reasons, said they didn’t have a choice in their ultimate decision. Some of these decisions were heroic and saved lives, whereas others were detrimental to the character themselves.
That’s when I started to see the lesson I needed in my own life. All too often, I find myself saying the exact same thing: “I don’t have a choice” or “I wasn’t given a choice.” The truth is, and like many of my characters discover, we all have a choice.
The farther I go along these creative avenues, the more I’m finding that the choices I need to make I really don’t like. Most of the time it’s because they feel impossible to accomplish, but they’re essential to reach my goals. The trick is to not jump to the first option that’s presented to me and weigh the pros and cons of each path.
“Well, what if you have to make a decision immediately? You won’t have time to think about a path!”
Good question, there really is no good answer to that. Sometimes, when that particular situation comes up, it boils down to your conscious and what you feel is right. Does that mean you’ll make the right decision? Maybe, maybe not, but regardless of what path you choose, all you can do is keep moving forward.
