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That Sounds About Right

Sitting here with the morning winter sun streaming through my living room window, crusted with half-thawed frost.
Trying to get my brain in gear so I can dive back into some writing and editing. Sipping hot coffee, doing the usual internet trolling routine: *stretch, sip*, email, *yawn, fire up the trance mix*, tumblr, *perk*, fresh soldierporn images, *scratch, sip*, goodreads...

Today's Goodreads "quote of the day" caught my attention.

“Only when he no longer knows what he is doing does the painter do good things.” 
― Edgar Degas

Oh, that. Yes. I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that both DEoH and BTB were created this way. Behold the writer, finally surrendering, throwing up their hands, and admitting, "I have no fucking clue what the hell is going on." It's like opening a release value on a sluice gate.

Shit starts moving, after that. Fast.
Sometimes so fast you can't keep up.

It's another way of saying, get the hell out of your own way.
Because as an artist, you're often your own worst critic, second-guessing your efforts and overthinking every last word or brush stroke. Take a breath, roll your shoulders, and just let it flow.

So for today, that's what I aim to do. Relax my grip on the reins and let the horse set its own pace. We're due for the simplicity of a nice long run, with the wind in our hair and the thunder of hooves on the turf, and nothing else.

Comments

  1. Thank you for sharing this!

    Also, two thumbs up for horse reference.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh, you like the horse reference? :) I may have to tease you with excerpt pieces from my WIP. After the holidays, alas. Too much trying to go on at once right now.

    ReplyDelete

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