{"id":3772,"date":"2018-10-11T07:32:12","date_gmt":"2018-10-11T14:32:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/?p=3772"},"modified":"2018-10-12T06:40:47","modified_gmt":"2018-10-12T13:40:47","slug":"as-nature-winds-down-fall-stirs-a-writers-passion-once-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2018\/writing\/as-nature-winds-down-fall-stirs-a-writers-passion-once-more\/","title":{"rendered":"As Nature Winds Down, Fall Stirs A Writer’s Passion Once More"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"aAs Nature winds down its work, I find the impetus to get back to writing. With its blazing colors and cooler temperatures, fall has given me the lift I needed after a smoky summer in British Columbia, that saw wildfires cloud our skies and made our\u00a0air uncomfortable to breathe.<\/p>\n

Distractions<\/h3>\n

For a while, I was distracted by America’s hearings for Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanagh. I was impressed by the courage of Dr. Christine Blasey\u00a0Ford <\/a><\/strong><\/span>and her selfless goal of fulfilling her civic duty. I applauded her bravery in coming forward with her painful history of sexual assault. What surprised me was some of the backlash. Also, the threats she received.<\/p>\n

I’ve also been distracted by all the news on climate change. <\/strong><\/a><\/span>It requires attention more than ever from all of us. I’ll continue to keep abreast of what’s happening here, while I focus on my writing.<\/p>\n

My Third Novel<\/h3>\n

Many of you know I\u2019ve been revising my third novel, about another very brave woman, my grandmother. It continues to be a\u00a0labor of love. After it was professionally edited, I incorporated my editor\u2019s<\/p>\n

\"a

At Lighthouse Park, West Vancouver<\/p><\/div>\n

excellent suggestions.<\/p>\n

However, in the midst of\u00a0these revisions, I decided to weave in a\u00a0contemporary story, adding another thirty thousand words, only to take\u00a0them out in the end. Aagghh!!!<\/p>\n

Writers know the agony of revisions. It’s not easy knowing what to keep and what to discard.<\/p>\n

So, after chucking the contemporary scenes, I had to reassure myself I had done the right thing. I told myself, You haven\u2019t wasted your time; you can use these scenes in some other story. In fact, it may be even better once you flesh out the section you removed. And since it\u2019s too close to home in many ways, you\u2019ll gain some respectable distance and be able to bring more of your imagination into the work.<\/em><\/p>\n

How’s that for rationalization?<\/p>\n

I had hoped to get an agent or a publisher for this novel. I\u2019ve had agents before for my screenplays so I know how helpful they can be. But I also know some sad stories where the agent quickly\u00a0lost interest and gave up on the writer they represented.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on one\u2019s viewpoint, those I contacted did not get excited about my pitch. I was warned about this possible outcome by a popular novelist, who told me, \u201cYour protagonist (a Ukrainian farm wife) is not famous and you\u2019re not a famous writer, so chances of you getting\u00a0your novel\u00a0published by a publishing house is very slim.\u201d How’s that for a warning, which I ignored? Oh well, some regret for lost time.<\/p>\n

The sad state of pitching means a writer can spend months, sometimes up to six months to hear back from anyone they\u2019ve submitted their story synopsis to along with some sample pages. It\u2019s my least favorite part of being a writer but it is what it is. And since I’m no longer\u00a0at the age when I can afford to wait, I’m going ahead on my own, and will be contacting the desired professionals for copy editing, proofreading, formatting and cover design. I’m actually looking forward to it.<\/p>\n

Along Came A Gardener<\/h3>\n

As for my inspirational book, Along Came A Gardener\u2014<\/em>an amalgam of thoughts from my therapy years with my love of gardening\u2014I\u2019m energized to get back at it.<\/p>\n

Some of that renewed drive arrived when I found a box of files in our crawlspace. In the box, I was surprised to find a stack of evaluation sheets that were given to clients after they\u2019d finished counselling. These were filled out, sent to head office at Corporate Health Consultants (a national EFAP firm-since sold) and then given back to me. It was wonderful to read the comments and realize how many I\u2019d helped. There is no greater reward than feeling you\u2019ve been of some use, that your work counted.<\/p>\n

One note, though. I\u2019m not the best gardener, not by a long stretch. At best, I\u2019m adequate, but I love being in my garden. I find Nature leaving me wiser than I was before I dug into the soil.<\/p>\n

Some of you have already received a few chapters of Along Came a Gardener<\/em>. I\u2019ll be sending out the next chapter in my fall newsletter. So if you haven\u2019t signed up for Diana’s Book News<\/strong>, the link is on my sidebar. If you\u2019ve missed any chapters along the way, let me know and I\u2019ll send you the ones you didn\u2019t get.<\/p>\n

On the Back Burner<\/h3>\n

I have other writing in mind, but for now, it\u2019s best I keep these projects under wraps as I don\u2019t want to lose my enthusiasm for them.<\/p>\n

Book Clubs<\/h3>\n

I also recently came up with a series of book club questions for readers and you’ll now find them on my website, with links so they can be printed out for The Rubber Fence and A Cry From The Deep<\/strong><\/span><\/a>. Anyone buying these novels now will also find them at the back of the book.<\/p>\n

Hope you have a great fall and I\u2019ll be sure to get another newsletter out before the heavy rains hit the west coast and the snow hits the prairies. Happy Reading!<\/h4>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As Nature winds down its work, I find the impetus to get back to writing. With its blazing colors and cooler temperatures, fall has given me the lift I needed… <\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3774,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,744],"tags":[903,1016,1015,78,1014,249,9,415,1017,276,5],"class_list":["post-3772","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-writing","category-books","tag-along-came-a-gardener","tag-book-clubs","tag-brett-kavanagh","tag-diana-stevan","tag-dr-ford","tag-editor","tag-novel","tag-revisions","tag-writers-passion","tag-writers","tag-writing-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/fall-leaves.png?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1LuVB-YQ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5303,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2021\/writing\/believing-a-womans-story\/","url_meta":{"origin":3772,"position":0},"title":"Believing a Woman’s Story","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"26 \u0411\u0435\u0440\u0435\u0437\u043d\u044f, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u2019ve been a feminist since the 1960s, so I find it sad that believing a woman\u2019s story is still a major problem today. The reaction to Oprah's recent interview with Meghan Markle was one example of this. Prince Harry's wife revealed she\u2019d been suicidal. She\u2019d become depressed over racist comments\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Books"","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"believing the woman","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/2-MP-The-Rubber-Fence.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/2-MP-The-Rubber-Fence.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/2-MP-The-Rubber-Fence.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/2-MP-The-Rubber-Fence.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/2-MP-The-Rubber-Fence.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":428,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2011\/writing\/a-writers-passion\/","url_meta":{"origin":3772,"position":1},"title":"A Writer’s Passion","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"27 \u0422\u0440\u0430\u0432\u043d\u044f, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"As I see my Star Magnolia flowers come and go, I'm reminded again of the passage of time.\u00a0 So, in thinking of all the writing I still want to do, a read through of\u00a0Jane Friedman's Blog was both helpful and timely. Her post on the 6 key components of an\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Life"","block_context":{"text":"Life","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/life\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/P1070772-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1648,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2014\/writing\/write-what-you-dont-know\/","url_meta":{"origin":3772,"position":2},"title":"Write What You Don’t Know","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"4 \u0427\u0435\u0440\u0432\u043d\u044f, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u2019ve heard it over and over again\u2014write what you know. That makes sense, as writing what you don\u2019t know is more difficult in many ways. As an author, how do you get inside your characters, or describe the places where they live or work if you know nothing about the\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Writing"","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Chesterman Beach, Vancouver Island ","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Chesterman-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6092,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2023\/writing\/a-writers-limbo\/","url_meta":{"origin":3772,"position":3},"title":"A Writer’s Limbo","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"25 \u041b\u044e\u0442\u043e\u0433\u043e, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"My book reading at the Local Book Fair in the Nanaimo Harbourfront Library went well, but now I find myself in writer's limbo. In other words, I'm between projects. In October, I published Paper Roses on Stony Mountain, the sequel to Lilacs in the Dust Bowl, and the last book\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Books"","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"writer's limbo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/book-reading.jpg?fit=465%2C640&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":338,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2011\/writing\/to-market-to-market\/","url_meta":{"origin":3772,"position":4},"title":"To market, to market","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"20 \u041a\u0432\u0456\u0442\u043d\u044f, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"My latest Writer's Digest magazine steered me to Agent Jenny Bent\\'s blog where I found the post she'd written on the state of the writers' marketplace. 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