Writing from the Past

Sometimes, to keep moving forward on a major writing project, we need to step back and revisit older or smaller projects. For me, this has never been more true than this summer. The stress of the political climate and events in my personal life have forced me to step back and take a look at some of my other writing projects. The happenings around me and in my life have made it challenging for me to exercise the romantic and creative focus that had helped to inspire and introduce me to the lives of the characters that were coming to life in my newest novel.

As those who have read my other romance works understand, I write stories about the love and relationships found in the lives of transgender or lesbian women. When writing in a society that debases, devalues, and demoralizes these people and communities, it can be difficult to find the energy to celebrate these lives. Part of this challenge comes from knowing there is a large segment of society that is willing to strike down my audience.

This summer, I found great pleasure and renewed energy in two projects. The first was when my personal life reminded me that a prior work, A Leg Up on Life, my book about being an amputee, was an incomplete story.  I took to rewriting this work and in the process found that my transgender story fit well into the pages. As I completed the first round of edits on this book and began to think about getting it to a copy editor in time for the holidays, my daughter reminded me of a children’s book I had written for my kids years prior. This whimsical story of magic, caring, and grace surged to the forefront of my mind, renewing my hope for the remainder of this year and what we may look forward to as a community.

Taking the tie away from my romance novel, from my deeper engagement with heartfelt relationships in the novel I was writing, to restore some work from my past. Taking some time to remember why I write and to refresh and rebirth beautiful tales that may bring joy to others and certainly bring joy to me, helped to refresh my creativity.

Having these works off to the next stage of editing, and off of my desk for a short while, I am back to my novel. I find myself writing with a new energy, spark, and eagerness to know what is happening to the people I am coming to know in the pages of my book. So, I encourage you, when you hit the writing doldrums, that writing slump, or find that you are just down from daily life, to step back. Take a page from your old work. Revisit old friends on pages gone by. Whether it is rereading, rewriting, or starting a sequel, sometimes a page from the past can help us look forward into the future.

Watch for two new, refreshed titles from me this holiday season: Able, and,

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