Little did I know that even more of my time in general this month would be devoted to my dear friends Christa and Erik and their two boys, as they battle for their beautiful daughter, Ella, to live. Even in the moments that I am not directly helping them or lifting them all up in prayer, I have found it difficult to get back into that writing space in my head. In fact, at times the thought of working on my book has almost felt selfish. I have felt very nearly that I shouldn't be enjoying anything or getting lost in any fantasy story-line while people I am so very close to are being constantly bombarded with harsh and sobering realities.
We have had many of our own realities to deal with ourselves also. My husband's transmission went out this week- a fix that would cost more than the truck is worth. And, well, when you are a finish carpenter who needs to transport a tool trailer to and from jobs in order to make a living, being without a heavy duty truck is quite the predicament. He has been able to borrow a truck from a friend, but even it is in desperate need of serious electrical work which we are also not in the place to fix.
So, we put our house on Craigslist- hoping that it would catch someone's eye, or at least get a nibble. If we could sell and downsize (an impossible sounding word to anyone who has actually seen my home) to some property we have been eying, pay off our debt and get a new truck- if everything played out the way we hoped. But do you have any idea how quickly your listing gets pushed down the list in the real estate section on Craigslist? Well, if you don't know- it's fast! In less than 16 hours we were already on the second page. Bummer. Not even a nibble. We'll try again tomorrow.
I have started teaching childbirthing classes with some fellow doulas in my community. Next Tuesday I will meet with the three other women I will be working with and dearly hoping that this can be one small way that I can help provide for my family. I did a few classes last month with one of the women to see if it was a good fit and if my teaching skills were up to par. I really enjoyed the experience and am looking forward to where this journey will take me. It's something.
And believe it or not- this brings me back to NanoWrimo. Before the absolute craziness of last week came crashing down, I had written over 12,000 words and was into the 6th chapter of my book. While it is just a rough first draft I actually don't think it is half bad! I am really enjoying my characters and my plot and look forward to getting back into working on it. In many ways I think I need to start to look at this as a career opportunity. I have always wanted to be a writer and if I am able to devote a chunk of my time to this venture it could be yet another way for me to stay at home yet help provide for my family.
I have been doing a lot of reading about becoming an author- especially the advice that my favorite authors have to offer. Something Robin Jones Gunn said in one of her interviews really struck a chord with me. She said that she knew that writing would have to be a sacrifice but that she knew it had to be her own and not her family's. For years she said she would get up at 3:00am so that she could write without taking time away from serving her family! Now that is dedication! While I don't plan on getting up anywhere near 3:00am anytime soon, it is one more probe in my side (among many as of late- most likely from the Lord) that getting up earlier would, indeed, be a good idea for me. (arg)
So there you have it- what is up. What's been on my mind. While I don't expect that I will be able to recover from the serious loss of time I have accumulated on my novel, I do plan to finish it. And if by some crazy chance I manage to do it in the next 11 days- well call me Sally and paint my face green! But hey, crazier things have happened!
Be sure to visit my sponsor- Marmee's Bread Market- for recipes and everything else you need to easily make fresh baked goods for your family!
