Perhaps the title of this post is an oxymoron. Everything ebbs and flows. Energy. Motivation. Creativity. If we figure out how to wait when whatever it is ebbs, we can focus on other aspects of our life. And when whatever it is flows, if we’ve figured it out, then we can capture, hone, direct, organize it into something we can use. This week, creativity has flowed, but not in the direction I planned.
Like any good opportunist, I grabbed some paper and jotted down ideas. If I push and poke a little, I often get more than I can use. On days when the job grants me what I need to write, instead of jumping into my next fiction project (a holiday short story… I know, I know…), other projects vied for attention. On a file folder that holds information for the next math workbook, I added ideas for games, how to organize the concepts, what to include in the practice pages, and I even looked up how to create crossword puzzles.
Last spring, I had my beta reader give feedback on 23 short stories, essays, and vignettes. I’ve been including one of these in each of my monthly newsletters, except for a couple of months when I offered other stories. It’s time to take those pieces and compile them into a book. Most are edited. A graphic person I know can make an ebook cover. This title, My Voice 2, will be a gift to my newsletter subscribers. Not all subscribers have seen all the titles. I plan to include a link and an invitation to share the link with others who might enjoy my stories.
Though I’ve worked every day on editing AC, I haven’t added the extras or formatted it. I know 100 Covers is working on a book cover for it. My flow of energy hasn’t stretched to getting it ready for publication. When I look at what I have published so far this year, what I planned to publish, and the time remaining in 2023, my emotions ebb and flow (frustration, embarrassment, doubt…). But there’s still three and a half months to go! And I think the heat has finally broken, so perhaps everything won’t be sapped.
As my creativity flowed this week, I made notes and plans and organized pieces and papers. As other parts of my life ebb, I take a breath, relax, and prepare for when the tide turns. Do you have any tricks to navigate the ebb and flow of energy?
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