Despite what it looks like over the last six months, this is not meant to be a travel blog. Travel, with its new and exciting experiences, often inspires my writing, so moving to Germany has naturally filled my ALT posts with lots of travel. In the background of those posts, I’ve been slowly getting my writing back on schedule. 

Every time we move, I shift from day-to-day life into full on moving and adjustment mode. Sometimes I bounce back quickly, but other times, it takes months to find the new normal. Germany has been that on steroids. As many of you have seen, even my posts have reflected my off-kilter balance. 

But I love writing, and it does eventually draw me back into the familiar arena. As I wrote last week, writing is always my attempt to do hard things, to be in the arena instead of the spectator in the stands. Part of the dust and sweat that comes with it is that every story tests me in different ways. I’ve yet to write a book the same way as I wrote one previously. 

And that stands especially true for Hidden Mythics III (HMIII), my current Work-in-Progress. I’m a linear thinker. Some writers work on a book in big scenes, not writing from start to finish but putting together the story in pieces like a puzzle. This terrifies me because so much in later scenes relies on what came before. I’m scared I’ll miss details if I don’t write in a straight line. 

HMIII has defied this way of thinking. I attempted to start it by writing the opening as I usually do. Nothing came. I tried to outline. It kind of worked, but I still have no idea how the large pieces connect to the small bits. 

Frustration drove me to write the large scenes that were rolling around in my head. And now I’m writing HMIII like the above-mentioned puzzle. So far, it’s working, but only time will tell if I can tie together all the details. 

Either way, I’m in the arena, again learning something new. =)

Blessings,

Jennifer

P.S. If you’re not familiar with the Hidden Mythics series, you can check out Books 1 and 2, Quaking Soul and Theos Rising, here.

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