Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Hey You, Get Off of My Cloud!

Between housework, kids, and the hubby there's not a lot of time left to dedicate to writing. And for those (like me) who work in addition to that, you just know they love writing so much, lack of sleep and a disintegrating household simply doesn't matter.

Even though it's hard to manage, developing characters and leading them into adventures and steamy love scenes requires a certain amount of time and concentration. Those artful phrases don't create themselves. They require the right kind of alone time, with no kids fighting over the remote and no husband yelling, "Honey, what's for dinner?"

Each and every time your muse is rolling along, those eloquent phrases dripping off your fingertips from your creative genius, you're thoroughly engrossed in expressing your thoughts and the scene is just right...knock, knock, knock.

An all too familiar sound.

"Mom, the dog chewed up my shoe again."

Well darn, that takes care of that. How am I going to write now? Gotta go buy shoes.

Back from the shoe store, and here we go again.

He raised his hand to caress her cheek, still damp with the tears of his unexpected arrival. She never thought she'd see him again, thought he was lost to her forever. But now here he was, smelling of expensive cologne and chicory coffee, and looking as handsome as he had at nineteen. If she knew that look in his eyes...

Knock, knock, knock. "Honey, do you know where my keys, are?"

"They're on the kitchen counter, beside the bread basket."

Where was I? Thought he was lost forever...yada, yada, yada...If she knew that look...Oh, here we are. If she knew that look in his eyes, and she was pretty sure she recognized the hungry expression in those all too familiar baby-blues, she knew he was about to...

Knock, knock, knock "Did you remember to call the cable company today?"

I roll my eyes. "Yes, the repairman will be here on Tuesday."

Now I ask you, how's a gal supposed to think romance during all this chaos?

Later, the house is settled and quiet. Dinner is over, kids are in bed, hubby is snoring contentedly, an aroma therapy candle puts off a soft glow from the table, peace at last...

...pretty sure she recognized...baby-blues...he was about to prove exactly how much he'd missed her. Her fingers curled around his in a silent gesture of welcome just before his arm, much larger and more muscular than it had been the last time he'd held her this way, snaked around her waist to pull her toward him...

Thump, thump, thump. Is that a tail wagging? Oh no, they forgot to walk the dog.

Ok. Dog walked, I resume the writing position, laptop poised for optimal word-count annialation. At last, maybe this time...

But wait...after all that, I can't quite concentrate. Maybe a nice relaxing bubble bath would help put me back in a writing frame of mind.

Ah. Much better. Now that darned hero can finally kiss the heroine... Now, where was I? Skim, skim... Hands fall away from keyboard... "Zzzzzzzzzzzzz..."

Oh well, maybe tomorrow I'll be able to call upon my muse and the time will be there. I know I can manage it. I think I can...I think I can...I think I can...

Just me, my muse and prose...

Posted By: The Blog Fairy & Tracy Preston

2 comments:

Taryn Raye said...

LOL! Great description and I'm right there with you. I've seen many a day like that.

Life drives the writer to distraction.

I have found that sometimes it's not the hubby and kids that do it- Sometimes my own mind drives me to distraction on top of everything else. It's the niggling in the back of mind reminding me that the dishes are piling up or the laundry needs folding or the bank book needs balancing.

Whatever the case, it's a comfort to know I'm not the only one who struggles with interruption! :D

Magdalena Scott said...

Fun post, Tracy--and all too true. Just some of the reasons it's such a challenge to be a writer. Fortunately we love it anyway.

;)

 
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