Some time ago I went to hear Jess Walter, best-selling novelist from Spokane. He was giving a reading & hilarious talk at the North side library here.  He said that it took him eleven years to finish his best-selling novel, CITIZEN VINCE. He said during this process he walked by a small pond on the South Hill of Spokane and watched a crow circle around the pond several times before diving down to pick up one shiny object in his beak and then the bird flew off. Jess Walker said that that triggered something in his mind about Citizen Vince and he knew then how to complete this wonderful novel. If you haven’t read it, please do. It’s wonderful on so many levels.

After listening to him speak, I came home and realized I needed that one shiny object to finish my first novel, BENSON’S COVE .. and yes, I am still stuck on this but differently in so many ways.  Have found my one shiny object and want to be writing like I’ve been shot out of a cannon.  All in good time. Working a bit more on the structure, but finishing this is now on my agenda.

I recently read ONE PERFECT WORD (memoir of Debbie Macomber), and how she picks one perfect word for each year and her life now moves in the direction of those words, usually one per year. It’s working for me, too  I’ll share my new one perfect word with you:  It’s FOCUS.  I’m ready in spades to Focus on my novel.  🙂

And really do want to post more here.  Will share with you how my life changed after reading TIME IS A RIVER by Mary Alice Monroe.  Tune in next Friday for this!