⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "captivating"
Feb 01, 2022 12:21 pm
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Hey, amazing human!
I don't know if you've heard, but As the Tallgrass Grows is now available!
I've been really pleased by its early reviews and I hope that you'll buy or borrow the book if you haven't yet, then let me know what you think! ❤️
Other than enjoying seeing a book make its way out into the world, I've been trying to get some writing done while also dealing with a stomach bug that swept through our household beginning Friday and lingering into yesterday. It struck the kids first and then my husband I fell to it shortly thereafter.
Last night my kids (ages 4 and 6) were well enough to be fighting over a toy that the big one got at a late Christmas celebration. He didn't want to share with the little one, even though they'd spent some time already sharing the little one's gift. I pointed this out to the big one, and then told him that I was pretty sure he knew the right thing to do.
He looked at me, despairing, and wailed, "I know what the right thing to do is, I just don't want to do it!"
I was a little disappointed in him at the time, but honestly, I can relate to his frustration. My kids are constantly highlighting the basic dilemmas of the human condition.
Of course, his dad, who has a more direct parenting style, just told him he had to share. Honestly, I think the kid was relieved to have the decision taken out of his hands. 😆
What I'm reading
On audio, I'm listening to The Best Men by Lauren Blakely and Sarina Bowen. If you haven't discovered this book yet, then you should. I am adoring every second of the story and the narration is of course fantastic too. A week or so ago I got the audiobook of Him by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy, a favorite. Hearing the same two narrators (Jacob Morgan and Teddy Hamilton) work together on another Sarina Bowen project has been really special.
What I'm writing
I have some revisions to complete for Night & Day, which is putting me a little closer to my final deadline than I'd like to be. I'm also chipping away at When the River Rises as well as another project that I'll have more to share about soon.
Working on three projects at once is really not my ideal process. I feel like dividing my attention this much has created some fissures in my focus and all kinds of other ideas are trying to worm their way into the center of my attention. Some writers call this "shiny object syndrome," which basically means that when you're working on existing projects, the draw of a new idea is the siren's song that will lead you astray and sink your ship.
Except some authors say that if an idea is incessantly calling to you, you shouldn't ignore it.
I've had the most incessant idea bothering me for several weeks now. The characters are in place and so is the setting--and most importantly for me, the ambiance. I can feel this story. That doesn't mean I don't have a strong sense of the other projects too, but this idea is the one that shows up in my head every chance it gets, like when I'm brushing my hair, making a sandwich, or on my commute.
What do you think? Is the shiny object a dangerous siren I should resist, or a possible treasure I can't ignore?
xo,
Rachel
find me in more places
Website | Rachel's Party Barn on Facebook | Instagram | Discord
my books
Long Winter | Signs of Spring | Burning Season | As the Tallgrass Grows | When the River Rises