Sylvia May's Blog, page 6

Computer Overload

Last week I spent very little time on the computer. Oh, I still did the odd posting on Facebook and wrote a few emails. But for most of the week I chose to participate in activities away from my laptop. I played piano, painted, did household chores, carried out volunteer duties, read a book, experimented with recipes, walked, practiced yoga. In fact, when ideas struck me for which I needed the computer, I just stared at it for a minute and went to do something else.

Why?

Because lately I have been feeling chained to that screen and keyboard. I had the sense that most of my life revolves around sitting at my desk and typing away. Blogging. Writing. Facetime. List groups. Emails. Research. I was fed up with parking myself in my blue chair every day. So I rebelled. I pushed that chair in and stayed out of it. Wrote no blogs. Wrote no fiction. Did only the minimum for list groups and Facebook (like my daily origami FB post).

Don’t get me wrong. I love my computer and what I can do with it. I am amazed at what the internet offers. My laptop is the best tool I own. But my life seemed to be too much defined by it and I wanted–no needed–to change that.

I know I am not alone in feeling overwhelmed with all the tasks and social media that feed our reliance on computers these days. Most authors I know do even more than I do. (Against much advice, I still don’t tweet on Twitter!) Somehow, I can’t help but think that all this time we spend staring at a little screen affects our appreciation of life as it’s meant to be lived. Certainly my week off helped me to remember how I enjoy doing those other activities that tend to fall by the wayside while I’m typing on my laptop.

Will I go back to being chained to my desk? Of course it’s possible. Yet I hope that last week’s experience allows me to temper my time at the computer more. Everything in moderation, right?

Freesias and Quietness

I have just returned from yoga class refreshed and ready to take on the day. I am relatively new to yoga, and have come to cherish these Thursday mornings in which I spend an hour and a half stretching and strengthening, working on balance and focus, and most of all, being quiet. At the beginning of each class, we are asked to think about an intention for that day’s practice. Today my intention was “become calm.”

I had arrived at my mat with a brain full thoughts, things to do, emails to write, errands to run. Becoming quiet so that I could focus on the yoga practice was very challenging. But as I sat on the floor with my legs crossed and eyes closed, willing myself to be still, an image came to mind that almost immediately quieted my mind.

In order for me to describe that image I need to back up a bit to Tuesday evening. Every Tuesday at six I participate in a recorder ensemble. We practice at a church and the hills on the church property are currently overflowing with aromatic, beautiful wild freesias. For three weeks, I’ve picked a small bouquet of them to take home, each Tuesday expecting them to be at their end, but each week thrilled to find them still gorgeous and strong. This week, when I arrived at the church, one of the other recorder players came to greet me as I stepped out of my car. Olivia is a lovely young girl whom I believe to be around ten or eleven years old. While we walked to the entrance, we talked about the freesias. It seemed that she loves them as much as I do.

“By our house,” she told me. “There’s a whole field filled with freesias, and one day I just laid down in the middle of them with my arms spread like an angel and breathed in the smell.” Her face lit up. “It was heavenly!”

I bet you’ve guessed what my calming image at yoga was today. Sweet Olivia lying in a bed of freesias like an angel. Imagine that a young girl could teach me about being quiet!

Organized or Organic?

Readers often ask me how I write. Do I map out the plot, make a story chart, use a flow chart or outline? My answer is usually this: I come up with a basic plot idea in my head, develop a sense of the characters’ motivations, decide what the end is going to be, and then the rest just happens. Basically, I think of myself as an organic writer, one whose stories flow out on the page (or in my case, into the computer) and whose characters take control of the events. It is not for me to spend days charting a novel. I’d rather let the story unfold as it develops.

People who know me in ways other than as a writer are surprised at that, because I have a reputation for being super organized and thriving on structure. Then why do I not exhibit that in my writing method?

Good question. I have found myself tangled up in plot conundrums and character crises often enough. So I’ve decided to rethink my approach for my next novel. I will take heed of my inherent need for “everything in its place,” not just in keeping my desk tidy or my computer files organized, but in figuring out exactly what is going to happen throughout the novel before I even begin Chapter One.

Recently I purchased an app that is both a word processor and project management tool. Scrivener is geared to writers of all kinds of projects and is a powerful tool for having research and relevant notes at one’s fingertips. I’ve just completed the tutorial and I know just how I’m going to use it in planning out my next novel. I can’t wait to start loading up the index cards, and character and settings sheets, and…this organizational tool has got me excited.

Let’s see if it helps me write a better book!

Rainy Day

Sunday was a rainy day. We had planned to golf in the morning, but at 8:00 a.m. we looked out the window at the grey skies and the rain pouring down and we changed our plans. We’ll just have a quiet day at home, we agreed. So we read the news in bed with a cup of coffee (tea for me), had a leisurely breakfast, spent the morning catching up on correspondence and other computer tasks, did a bit of laundry, read books, played cribbage. I wrote ahead of my schedule with my blog posts and doodled on the piano and practiced my recorder. We stayed in our pyjamas well into the afternoon!

Ever have a day like that? Despite the foiled plans and the shift in our expectations, I find these days rejuvenating. A little bit like a holiday, even though I tackle tasks that are not at all holiday-like. A day like Sunday offers a chance to catch my breath in a busy life filled with activity.

Perhaps I shouldn’t wait for rain to have my next “breather” day…

Book Signing

On Saturday I had a book signing at Brown & Co. Bookmart in Bermuda. Amongst shelves filled with books (heaven!) I sat at a table on which was spread books that I had written. Pen in hand, I was ready to talk to anyone who stopped by.

I have learned that book signings have peaks and valleys of activity, and this Saturday was no different . During the “valley” times, I would greet people as they walked past or I’d browse books on the shelves near where I was located or chat with the store’s staff. The “peak” times, however, were when I found it especially worthwhile to have parked myself in the store for three hours. Talking to readers about my books, about being an author, hearing their feedback, or piquing their interest in my characters is both stimulating and inspiring.

On this particular Saturday, I spoke with numerous avid readers (many of them young teenagers–yay!) and aspiring writers. It humbles me to be approached and listened to by these people. They take what I say to heart, so I make sure to respond to their questions in a thoughtful manner.

I would like to share with you one encounter in particular. It involved a mother and her nine-year-old daughter. The mother was drawn to the Lucy Arlington books on the table because of their charming covers and wondered if they’d be appropriate for her child. She picked up Buried in a Book, asked a few more questions, and then the two went off to the coffee shop section of the store. A half hour later they returned to my table.  The mother related how much she enjoyed reading the first chapter of the book and was going to purchase it. Would I sign it? she asked. She then mentioned that her daughter had a few questions for me.

I turned to the young girl and encouraged her to ask away. She opened a small notebook in which she had written questions and proceeded to ask them. How many books have I written? Have I ever written children’s books? When did I start to write? The seriousness with which she listened to my answers completely charmed me. Perhaps, I told her, one day she would be sitting at a table in a bookstore signing books that she had written. Those words brought on a smile that lit up her face.

We authors write books because we have stories we want to tell. Getting them published is an achievement to which we aspire. I find it extremely satisfying to hold one of my books in my hands. But having the opportunity to interact with the people who read them surpasses even that feeling, realizing that my experience touches and informs people in ways I never expected.

A Ray Experience

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you will know that I was in Cozumel last week on a diving holiday with my husband and friends. We had a fantastic time, scuba diving every day, enjoying the wonderful sunshine, meeting friendly people, eating great food, and of course, drinking margaritas.

Every morning the dive boat would pick us up at 7:30 A.M. and we would head off for our day of scuba diving. Each dive was a fantastic experience because the reefs and undersea life are so varied and colourful. However, one dive was particularly memorable.

Our dive master informed us that spotted eagle rays migrate past Cozumel in February, and one afternoon she led us to a spot 80 feet below the surface where we could watch the rays swim by. Wedging our hands in the sand and gripping rocks, we resisted the current and became still as dozens of eagle rays “flew” past us. The longer we stayed there on the bottom of the ocean and the calmer we became, the closer the rays approached us.

I was awed. My dive buddies were awed. The magnificence of these creatures and their graceful flight through the water is a sight I will never forget. Observing this amazing occurrence was akin to a spiritual experience, and I was honoured to be a witness to a phenomena that most people don’t have to opportunity to observe. I was filled with a renewed appreciation of nature’s splendor.

The Next Story

February has been an exciting month for me as an author for several reasons. One, I finished and sent off my second novel (still haven’t heard anything, in case you’re wondering). Two, the second book in the mystery series I co-author was released AND was on the New York Times Bestseller list two weeks in a row (so far)! And three, I went on a fantastic vacation week in Cozumel, where I went scuba diving every day. Can life get any better?

Now I’m back home, back to my regular life, back at the computer. It’s time to move on to my next writing project. The trouble is, I haven’t yet nailed down what it is I am going to work on. One of the problems that we writers have (I’m not the only one) is that our minds are filled with a multitude of ideas, and solidifying just one can be difficult. At the moment, I can’t decide between:

1. A novel that I started a couple of years ago and of which I’ve written over fifty pages. The story starts off in post-war Netherlands and is about a young Dutch girl who loses her mother under mysterious circumstances. Her tale has been germinating and developing in my brain even as I was writing my other novels.

Or

2. With the success of the Novel Idea Cozy Mystery Series, several ideas for other cozy series are rolling around in my head.

How am I going to decide? I guess I should play with each idea for a week, work out the characters, settings and plot lines, and see which story speaks to me the most. I’ll keep you posted…

Going to my Happy Place

I’ll be on holiday next week. Although we’re going to sunny Mexico, I’ll be spending most of the week under the ocean, swimming with the fish and other critters, admiring the reefs, taking photos. Just over three years ago, Richard and I began scuba diving. We took our certification and never looked back. Now there is no place I’d rather be than under the water. Under the ocean has become my happy place.

If you haven’t been to Bermuda in February, you might wonder why we would fly somewhere else to go diving. Well, winter in Bermuda means cool temperatures, especially in the water, choppy surf and wind. So we’re flying off to the warmer waters of Cozumel to see what life under the ocean looks like there.

Because I’ll be there and not here at my computer, I won’t post any blogs next week. But I’ll be back before you know it.

Have a great week!

New York Times Bestseller!

I interrupt my regular blogging for an exciting announcement. Every Trick in the Book, the second book in the Novel Idea Mystery series that I co-author under the name Lucy Arlington is  Number 23 on the New York Times Bestseller list! I am absolutely thrilled!

Thank you readers.

Finished!

Today I completed the final edits on the manuscript of the second novel that I hope to publish under my own name. As you know, this past week has been focused on my alter-ego, Lucy Arlington, and the release of her second novel, Every Trick in the Book. However, despite that exciting distraction, Sylvia May (me!) continued to work on her second women’s fiction novel.

This morning I made the final changes and corrections. I polished the document, gave it a cover page, and sat back, suddenly nervous to send it out in the world. Of course, it won’t get out in the world until it finds a publisher, but that first step of sending it to an agent feels very much like sending it out in the world.

I wrote the email, attached the document, and let my cursor hover over the “send” key. My pulse started racing and my mouth went dry. And then a little voice in my head said, “Do it or not. Just decide.” So I hit send.

And off it flew over the Internet.

I’ll keep you posted on it’s progress.