I love the in-between time of the writing/publishing cycle. Publishing a book takes about 25% as much effort as writing. The work is administrative in nature and can make or break the success of a newly published work. It’s also not much fun. Maybe, at some point in the future, we’ll talk about these tasks, but not today. Today is about the in-between.

Writing is the best job in the world. I hear others complain about the work because some days, it is hard to sit down and be creative. I’ve had these days. Some days, bad reviews are thrust into our faces and for a moment, that can derail us. I’ve had these reviews. Some days, the words won’t flow and nothing you write seems even a bit useful and it’s deleted forever. I’ve written those words.

I’ve recently taken up golf. And by that, I mean, I’ve taken a couple of lessons and played six games over the last nine months. Writing and golf have lots of similarities. Golf can be frustrating. No matter what I do, the ball just doesn’t quite go where I want it to. And also, one out of a hundred shots (at least for me) strike true, the ball lifts effortlessly from the grass and sails straight, landing perfectly where I’ve aimed. It’s a great feeling.

So now you’re convinced I’m fully ADD. I’ve introduced four ideas without tying them together. Here’s why all this fits together for me. In the in-between time, I put in the work of writing, and when I write that section or chapter that really just does it for me, it’s a lot like hitting that perfect golf swing. It’s effortless and I wonder why I ever struggled. That effortless prose ties the ideas in my head to words in a way that I am so very grateful for because I know I have readers who will appreciate the effort. It is this experience in the in-between time that refills my buckets.

And now you’re wondering what is it about this girl I’ve met. Fiction is an exercise in tying imaginative ideas to shared or common experiences. Not so long ago, I did meet this girl, Cindy, and I have become quite fond of her. In the beginning, she was a friend, with whom I enjoyed sharing experiences. So much so that one night, while talking on the phone, I blurted out – so, I met this girl …

At first, her response was one of confusion as she wondered what exactly my point was, but Cindy is emotionally quite brilliant and trusted me enough to give me a little leeway in the conversation. Oh, do I know her? It was a good response, to which I responded with; I think so, but just let me tell you about her, I’ve been waiting all day to talk to you about this. I won’t go into the details of the conversation that followed, but I went on to describe to Cindy all the things I’d learned about her and why I had become so fond of her. And now, it’s kind of become my thing. In quiet moments, I’ll start – so, I met this girl. She has the best laugh when she hears this and asks me to tell her more.

In Jump Drives and Coffee Stains, the next in the Spaceship Mechanic series, you’ll see Rix having this same conversation with Kel, only will be about the girl he’s met. The girl won’t be Kel, but Kel is such a good friend that he just must share his excitement about meeting this new person.

Tying the themes of my own life to characters I’m writing about is immensely satisfying and only possible in the in-between times. I do love being a writer.

The post I met this girl … appeared first on Jamie McFarlane.