Sunday, October 4, 2009

How Do I Climb This Mountain?

After two and a half years and five revisions, how do I find the strength to continue pouring fresh energy into this novel?

The mountain metaphor again. I climb this mountain one step at a time. Some days one step is all I can take--one page of revision. Other days I can take a few more steps--three to five.

Years ago I worked through Julia Cameron's delightful handbook The Artist's Way. One of the great bits of advice I learned from her is to keep my creative well full.

So when I feel like I can't possibly take another step, I stop at a clear stream and fill up my canteen. How? By reading great books and watching great movies. Another thing that fills me up is reading anthologies of writers on writing.

What about you? What fills up your creative canteen?

WHAT I'M READING THIS WEEK: Viola in Reel Life (Trigiani) Twisted (Halse Anderson) Catching Fire (Collins)

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