The summer doldrums

 

A place where I can lost the summer doldrums
Colin's lake in Tomball. Note Sophie next to me. 
It’s hot, and I’m in thedoldrums. Or am I just lazy? Or is age creeping up on me? I have a friend,slightly younger than me, who says she no longer has the focus for longprojects--like novels--and she is considering other ways to keep writing. Maybethat’s what’s wrong with me, but Missing Irene, the fifth adventure formy diva chef, is dragging along. For a while, it was going great, and I couldsee the road ahead for some distance. But now it’s ground to a crawl, and theroad is murky. Oh, I know what’s going to happen, but I’m having troublegetting there. And I’ve only just begun.

I think if you’ve been writinglong enough, you know when your writing sings—and you know when it doesn’t.Years ago, my then-agent asked me to do a proposal for a publisher who wanted ayoung-adult book about a girl in the American West. I wrote what I thought wasan acceptable proposal and sent it off. It came back with one devastatingcomment from the publisher: “Frankly, we find Mrs. Alter’s writing pedestrian.”Pedestrian! What a devastating word! But it probably was spot on, and I wasyoung and green enough not to recognize it. But now, with a long career behindme—forty-plus years and over a hundred books of various types, plus articles,reviews, columns, etc.—I am very aware when my writing “feels” pedestrian. Andthat’s where I’ve been the last couple of days.

Lately on a writing listserv Ifollow, there’s been a thread about how to tell a budding author what’s wrongwith a manuscript, especially if everything’s wrong from syntax to plot to character.I remember once submitting a sixty-page manuscript, on assignment, to apamphlet series about western authors. It came back with the first twelve pagesso heavily edited I could hardly find my own words amidst the red pen notes. Itwas absolutely the best writing lesson I have ever had and much of it has stoodme in good stead over the years. So maybe that’s what I need now—a heavy redpencil.

I know the best thing to dowhen a project seems stalled is walk away from it and let it sit for days, evenweeks. Then go back to it with new eyes. But when I do that, I feel guilty fornot writing, even though I set my own deadlines. No one else is telling me I mustwrite a certain number of words a day or produce a finished manuscript by acertain date. It’s one of the big reasons I am an indie-published author.

I can put it aside because Ihave other interests and projects, principally cooking. With this hot weather,Jordan has challenged me to cook light meals, and I’ve been happy with myresults. Like the open-faced sandwich (see last night’s “Gourmet on a Hot Plate”)or the old-fashioned layer salad I made last night and had for lunch today (probablysee next Thursday’s “Gourmet on a Hot Plate”).

I so enjoy meal planning thatmy grocery bill is out of sight, but I have figured something out. I buygroceries for happy hour snacks (I limit happy hour these days to a few closefriends who I know haven’t been traveling—call me cautious, but the cases ofCovid I’ve known have almost all been people who’ve been traveling). And I buygroceries for dinner for the three of us—Jacob is now working at Joe T.s almostevery night, so I don’t figure him in. That’s a lot of groceries, betweenCentral Market and Albertson’s, but the thing I don’t do is go out to eat. Ifigure I save a whole bunch of money by cooking at home. Of course, because Iexperiment, I buy things I wouldn’t ordinarily, which increases my bill (I justordered furikake—look it up if you’re puzzled).

I’ve been thinking, while mynovel lingers in the doldrums, of doing another cookbook. I’ve learned a lot,found a lot of new dishes in the five years since Gourmet on a Hot Plate. AndI have a thick file now of what I call “keepers.” I’d love any feedback onwhether it would be a good idea or not to combine my food blogs into a book.

There’s one more thing thatkeeps me occupied, and that’s what I see as the state of our country and theneed to speak out. I could blog about that every night, but I figure I’d beginto sound shrill and would become one of those with lots of indignation and nosolutions. So I save such blogs for only occasionally, and only specific topicsI consider crucial—hard to define that because so many are crucial.

And that’s where I am in thedoldrums. I will appreciate any cheering words, advice, suggestions, jokes, andthe like. This too shall pass, and I know it, but friends are gootd to havewhen you’re in the doldrums.

And now, I’m off to read anold Jessica Fletcher mystery set in my heart’s country, Scotland. I missed itthe first time around. Stay cool.