Rebecca Mildren's Blog - Posts Tagged "writing"
Having it all
One of my favorite movies of all time is Ever After. And one of its best lines is delivered by Dougray Scott: "I used to think, if I cared at all, I would have to care about everything, and I'd go stark raving mad. But now I've found my purpose…. And I feel the most wonderful freedom."
I'm not exactly a prince with princely resources, nor am I setting out to open a university for Romanis. But probably, if you knew me in childhood, you'd have said that I was the pupil who was going to go places, going do things with her life: Gee, she's got the good grades, the smarts, and the drive to do anything she wants. I can't say that I haven't been exciting places, but as for a career direction, objectively speaking, it's been a somewhat amorphous area of my life. Too many things to do, too little time!
I've had a hard time settling on one thing to focus on because there are sooooo many possibilities. Just like Lenka sings, I want to be everything at once! So how does one even begin to choose? But now that I've begun scribbling away at novels like the young Jo March -- I'm almost done with a series of historical romance novels, and for NaNoWriMo 2014, I'll be embarking on a young adult sci-fi that is sure to blow your socks off (I hope!) -- I can say with Prince Henri that "I feel the most wonderful freedom."
Because, here I was today, delving into articles on TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation), TDCS (transcranial direct current stimulation), and the ethics of neuro enhancement for military purposes. In which other hobby can one do that and also laugh one's way through a study of buccaneer slang, as well as still one's soul in the face of the economics of the 17th century transatlantic slave trade? In which other creative process can one fuse an understanding of human nature gleaned over a lifetime together with a superficial knowledge of wind power and astrophysics? How fun is that! Maybe I've finally found my calling.
I'm not exactly a prince with princely resources, nor am I setting out to open a university for Romanis. But probably, if you knew me in childhood, you'd have said that I was the pupil who was going to go places, going do things with her life: Gee, she's got the good grades, the smarts, and the drive to do anything she wants. I can't say that I haven't been exciting places, but as for a career direction, objectively speaking, it's been a somewhat amorphous area of my life. Too many things to do, too little time!
I've had a hard time settling on one thing to focus on because there are sooooo many possibilities. Just like Lenka sings, I want to be everything at once! So how does one even begin to choose? But now that I've begun scribbling away at novels like the young Jo March -- I'm almost done with a series of historical romance novels, and for NaNoWriMo 2014, I'll be embarking on a young adult sci-fi that is sure to blow your socks off (I hope!) -- I can say with Prince Henri that "I feel the most wonderful freedom."
Because, here I was today, delving into articles on TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation), TDCS (transcranial direct current stimulation), and the ethics of neuro enhancement for military purposes. In which other hobby can one do that and also laugh one's way through a study of buccaneer slang, as well as still one's soul in the face of the economics of the 17th century transatlantic slave trade? In which other creative process can one fuse an understanding of human nature gleaned over a lifetime together with a superficial knowledge of wind power and astrophysics? How fun is that! Maybe I've finally found my calling.
Conflict and Stakes
So as some of you know, I've gotten into writing novels in the last few years. I just have to say that writing is great! But writing query letters, not so much. Much easier said than done. But apparently, I have their summary's Hook, Setup, Conflict, and Stakes components stuck on the brain, because I awoke this morning to a tension-steeped dream.
In my dream, I'm on vacation with family, at a summer home rental. My husband and parents have gone off somewhere, I think to stand in a long line and buy tickets for something, while I'm left with our two boys. Innocent enough of a start, no? But then it begins to rain and the house starts to flood! Meanwhile, there's no food in the house and the kids haven't eaten anything so I need to get to the store to buy something and then cook it for them (chicken curry had been the plan in the dream). Before I can go to the store, a random handsome stranger shows up and offers to fix the leak in the ceiling/roof (in the dream it's pretty much the same thing: just a gaping hole that's letting the rain in). And with no ulterior motive other than to ask to borrow a vest? I'm not buying that.
But then, word comes over my phone that everyone near the river (that's us) has to evacuate because a typhoon is coming. (Don't hate; it's my dream.) So the stakes are pretty clear: If I don't get some food into my kids, THEY WILL STARVE TO DEATH, only after half-killing me with whining and worse, proving me to be a bad mom and bad planner (gasp!). But if I don't skip dinner plans and leave with the handsome stranger and flee to safety now, WE COULD ALL DIE! But if I leave now, I MIGHT NEVER KNOW what has happened to my husband and parents. Where the heck are they, anyway?! And WHAT WILL THEY THINK when they find out I've run off with a stranger and left them high and dry? See? The story's just oozing tension! Not sure about you, but if this was a back-of-the-book cover and I were into natural disaster-suspense books, I'd buy it.
So anyway, in case you want to know what happened next in the dream, I decide the house is no longer viable as a place to cook dinner anyway; we're practically having to swim. But my indecision has raised the stakes: We're in even greater danger now and I might have doomed not just us, but this innocent stranger, too. Or is he not-so-innocent? After a humorous aside involving a raccoon the size of a wolf and an introverted but adventurous hedgehog who rides him (no idea where that came from), I take the kids and drive away with the stranger. We come to a place where we have to ford the river. (It was the Santa Fe in my dream. That's right. It's MY dream.) I have just about swum across with my youngest child, with the stranger and the older child left on the river bank behind us when…
My older child woke me up. Gah! And there you have it: Hook, Setup, Conflict, and Stakes. Now I'm going back to working on my query letter. If you know what was going to happen in my dream, please let me know!
In my dream, I'm on vacation with family, at a summer home rental. My husband and parents have gone off somewhere, I think to stand in a long line and buy tickets for something, while I'm left with our two boys. Innocent enough of a start, no? But then it begins to rain and the house starts to flood! Meanwhile, there's no food in the house and the kids haven't eaten anything so I need to get to the store to buy something and then cook it for them (chicken curry had been the plan in the dream). Before I can go to the store, a random handsome stranger shows up and offers to fix the leak in the ceiling/roof (in the dream it's pretty much the same thing: just a gaping hole that's letting the rain in). And with no ulterior motive other than to ask to borrow a vest? I'm not buying that.
But then, word comes over my phone that everyone near the river (that's us) has to evacuate because a typhoon is coming. (Don't hate; it's my dream.) So the stakes are pretty clear: If I don't get some food into my kids, THEY WILL STARVE TO DEATH, only after half-killing me with whining and worse, proving me to be a bad mom and bad planner (gasp!). But if I don't skip dinner plans and leave with the handsome stranger and flee to safety now, WE COULD ALL DIE! But if I leave now, I MIGHT NEVER KNOW what has happened to my husband and parents. Where the heck are they, anyway?! And WHAT WILL THEY THINK when they find out I've run off with a stranger and left them high and dry? See? The story's just oozing tension! Not sure about you, but if this was a back-of-the-book cover and I were into natural disaster-suspense books, I'd buy it.
So anyway, in case you want to know what happened next in the dream, I decide the house is no longer viable as a place to cook dinner anyway; we're practically having to swim. But my indecision has raised the stakes: We're in even greater danger now and I might have doomed not just us, but this innocent stranger, too. Or is he not-so-innocent? After a humorous aside involving a raccoon the size of a wolf and an introverted but adventurous hedgehog who rides him (no idea where that came from), I take the kids and drive away with the stranger. We come to a place where we have to ford the river. (It was the Santa Fe in my dream. That's right. It's MY dream.) I have just about swum across with my youngest child, with the stranger and the older child left on the river bank behind us when…
My older child woke me up. Gah! And there you have it: Hook, Setup, Conflict, and Stakes. Now I'm going back to working on my query letter. If you know what was going to happen in my dream, please let me know!
Between the Reality and the Dream
Sad to say, but my immediate reaction to the "reach for your dreams" and the "you can achieve whatever you set your mind to" mantra of Disney movies and Facebook memes is to cynically shake my head. Why set people, kids especially, up to fail? Be realistic! I feel like shouting. Very few people ever realize their dreams!
And yet, I am one of the biggest dreamers and accomplishers I know. Sometimes I push myself too hard. This month, I am thankful that my chosen workload did not end in a nervous breakdown. Sometimes it does, and I am forced to stare my limitations in the face. I hate it when that happens.
But the facts of the matter are: All humans might aspire to greatness in some way, but we all have only so many hours in a day. We all have only so many personal resources we can put to use. We all are not equally gifted in all areas.
Point in case: Malcolm Gladwell has said you can master any skill if you put in 10,000 hours of practice. Scientists have supposedly debunked that assertion. Still, it's a heady delusion we humans thirst to espouse. I can do anything! I can be anything! Then we go watch a TV show or scroll through Facebook posts instead.
Honestly, I have not taken well to parenthood. I never realized how much time, energy, and grit-your-teeth-you-can-do-this it takes. And because parenthood isn't my only dream in life, I often feel trapped between the urge to be the ideal parent I know I could be if that was the ONLY thing I did in life, and the inner urge to do more. Be more.
Besides being a mother, I am also a wife. A daughter. An aunt. I am a writer. An artist. A musician. I am a Christian. A philanthropist. A philosopher. The list goes on. I suppose it's time for the pebbles-sand-jar don't-always-put-the-biggest-priorities first analogy, but instead, here's my personal pep-talk for today, as I look back on a month of WAY too much overtime:
1) When I feel like I'm stuck focusing only on one area of life for a while, it's good to remember that there are seasons to life. In a certain season, we can concentrate more on one aspect of ourselves, while leaving others on the backburner. Those aspects of us aren't dead, unless it's time to move on, and even then, those aspects we've developed will forever be a part of us. Even an Olympic figure skater or gymnast who devotes virtually every waking hour to her craft for years on end eventually gets married. Has children. Starts a business. Does something else with her time.
2) Instead of feeling paralyzed by my inability to be doing what I'd like to be doing, I can accept that I am a limited human being. Yes, I can get in shape, write a book, be an awesome mom, get involved with community outreach, do an excellent job in my work, and be a gourmet chef. But I cannot do that all at once, and that's OK. So, yes, today the kids ate dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets, and I worked on my writing craft. Another day, I'll cook a delicious and nutritious meal for them. We'll get out of the house and go on a trip. Just because I can't be and do all things at once doesn't mean I should let discouragement rule or throw in the towel in any of those areas.
3) I should not see reliance on outside resources as a failure. While I've had a very busy month, my super-supportive husband has helped pick up the slack with housework and the kids and has done his utmost to put a buffer between me and any energy-sapping distractions. I can choose to feel like I've failed my family, or I can choose to be grateful for the love and support I've been given. No one reaches their dreams all on their own.
And yet, I am one of the biggest dreamers and accomplishers I know. Sometimes I push myself too hard. This month, I am thankful that my chosen workload did not end in a nervous breakdown. Sometimes it does, and I am forced to stare my limitations in the face. I hate it when that happens.
But the facts of the matter are: All humans might aspire to greatness in some way, but we all have only so many hours in a day. We all have only so many personal resources we can put to use. We all are not equally gifted in all areas.
Point in case: Malcolm Gladwell has said you can master any skill if you put in 10,000 hours of practice. Scientists have supposedly debunked that assertion. Still, it's a heady delusion we humans thirst to espouse. I can do anything! I can be anything! Then we go watch a TV show or scroll through Facebook posts instead.
Honestly, I have not taken well to parenthood. I never realized how much time, energy, and grit-your-teeth-you-can-do-this it takes. And because parenthood isn't my only dream in life, I often feel trapped between the urge to be the ideal parent I know I could be if that was the ONLY thing I did in life, and the inner urge to do more. Be more.
Besides being a mother, I am also a wife. A daughter. An aunt. I am a writer. An artist. A musician. I am a Christian. A philanthropist. A philosopher. The list goes on. I suppose it's time for the pebbles-sand-jar don't-always-put-the-biggest-priorities first analogy, but instead, here's my personal pep-talk for today, as I look back on a month of WAY too much overtime:
1) When I feel like I'm stuck focusing only on one area of life for a while, it's good to remember that there are seasons to life. In a certain season, we can concentrate more on one aspect of ourselves, while leaving others on the backburner. Those aspects of us aren't dead, unless it's time to move on, and even then, those aspects we've developed will forever be a part of us. Even an Olympic figure skater or gymnast who devotes virtually every waking hour to her craft for years on end eventually gets married. Has children. Starts a business. Does something else with her time.
2) Instead of feeling paralyzed by my inability to be doing what I'd like to be doing, I can accept that I am a limited human being. Yes, I can get in shape, write a book, be an awesome mom, get involved with community outreach, do an excellent job in my work, and be a gourmet chef. But I cannot do that all at once, and that's OK. So, yes, today the kids ate dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets, and I worked on my writing craft. Another day, I'll cook a delicious and nutritious meal for them. We'll get out of the house and go on a trip. Just because I can't be and do all things at once doesn't mean I should let discouragement rule or throw in the towel in any of those areas.
3) I should not see reliance on outside resources as a failure. While I've had a very busy month, my super-supportive husband has helped pick up the slack with housework and the kids and has done his utmost to put a buffer between me and any energy-sapping distractions. I can choose to feel like I've failed my family, or I can choose to be grateful for the love and support I've been given. No one reaches their dreams all on their own.
