Not too long ago I declared that yes, I was finally writing another Jaded NYer book. I gathered my notes, put forth a schedule, hired an assistant, contacted my designer to plan a cover photoshoot, hit up my webmaster for a revamp of the site—all of the necessary busy work to prep for my year of writing.
And then my Muse showed up and said, “Girl, no. We’re going to finish writing this other book first, the one about the best friends from Washington Heights.”
To which I responded, “But my Jaded NYer book is damn near ready!”
But she spat back with a “So, what? Write St. Nicholas Girls.”
So now I’m writing a novella (thanks to a push from a week-long writing challenge put forth by writer Rivaflowz) about the best friends from Washington Heights. It should be out by the end of the year if not early 2017. And if that’s not enough work, a recent writing prompt I took on to pass the time and get myself to write longhand again, has turned into a novel-in-progress. I won’t go into what it’s about but I’ll give you this: there’s a dead body in the kitchen. I KNOW, RIGHT?!?!
Meanwhile, my poor little Jaded NYer book is all, “What about me?” Well, honey, the Muse hath spoken; I have to follow orders.
I charted my writing schedule (which, by the way, takes me well into 2020) and am thoroughly excited for what I’ve got down on the page so far (at the expense of my poor, poor Jaded NYer book), but I’ll admit that it was jostling to have my plans thwarted so rudely. I don’t take too kindly to orders, but I’m learning that a Muse has an artist’s best interest at heart. Everything else has to step aside to make room for the creative process. You have to “catch lightening in a bottle.” Delegate what you can and ignore what can wait until the most pressing of creative gems gets its shine.
It will all unfold the way it’s supposed to.
xoxo,
Raquel Ivelisse