Notes from the Shed

16 / 23 chapters. 70% done!

I'm revising my way through this draft of my next novel. I'll have another pass immediately after this one, but I keep showing up and working, and that's really the key to progress right there.

So I've been spending time every day out in my writing shed.



I always keep things related to my current book on my desk.  There's power in objects for me.  But it's probably time to clear some of it away!  It's taking over my desk.



As you can see, I'm a note scribbler. Ideas come up and I'm not in the right chapter to deal with them, so I write the thoughts onto Post-its and pads of paper and stick them in my inbox.

I've been trying some of the photography tips that I've been reading about.  One photographer suggested shooting objects with ceilings and floors as the background, because they tend to have no distractions. He also said we all have preferences when we shoot photos (a certain distance away, from a certain height, centering things, etc.). And it's good to recognize what those preferences are and purposefully make different choices sometimes.  I'm finding that many things I read about photography apply to writing, too. 

Back in October when the frosts were hitting my yard and leveling my plants, I wasn't ready to let this geranium go, so I brought the whole window box into my shed to enjoy it awhile longer. 

    For this photo, I laid on the floor yesterday and shot it from underneath, using the ceiling as the background. It was out of my comfort zone--both figuratively and literally (that floor is hard and cold!), but I did end up seeing the geranium differently, and that's the whole point.