Stories in Every Way

Last week was about stories. The stories I’m writing, the stories I’m seeking representation for, and the stories I come from.

I worked last week on revising MS:TS, querying MS:D, and starting a project recording a family member’s stories. It was a learning process in moving from one seat to the next, sometimes literally as I dragged my things all over the house, and balancing it all took some work. It’s my nature to want structure and moving along with projects where I need to be flexible always throws me off balance a bit. I’ve gotten much better at it, I need less time to adjust, and I find my comfort again much more quickly than I ever have. All of that work I’ve done to get comfortable with it in the past allowed my present self to settle into each project and then jump out of one into another. It also tugged at what I was working on last week, allowing my timeline to shift and flex along with me, and being mindful of it all helped me work intentionally. While it takes a lot of mental gymnastics to flip from one to the other and back again, it is lovely to be able to work on each project. Ending the week in the realization that we want to make some major changes to the shared office space I have with my spouse was a lot, but goes along with the theme as well.

This week will be a continuation of that flexibility, moving forward with each of these projects and making good progress on each. Ending last week coming out of a two day migraine was a bit of a rude reminder of the them of flexibility, but a reminder nonetheless. I had to step back from all of my projects and give my body the rest it so desperately needed. I’m going into this week not feeling my best, so I’ll take my time getting into the work. I want to continue sending out a couple of queries for MS:D and finish the chapter of MS:TS I’m currently in. The chapter I’m working on is a scene from the first draft of the manuscript that shows up much earlier in the story. It’s a pivotal moment for the sisters and weaving it into the new draft in the new place anchors the timeline. I’ve got my notes set for the writing and know what needs to be written into the scene. I’m going to end this week with a cup of tea, lots of water, rest, and hopefully be ready to jump back into the writing soon.

In case you haven’t been told today, you are more than enough.

With you in words, Nikole