So I have found time to relax, recharge, and write during our four-day vacation in South Haven, Michigan. It has been extremely peaceful and beneficial to be here with my wife’s family and just enjoy some time away. The weather has been perfect, and I even found some time to get to a local golf course and enjoy a round with my brother-in-law.
These times with family must be cherished since it was my family that became my biggest support system and an impetus for my recovery and stability. One of my main goals coming up here was to find some writing time and get back to the creative process. My first two nights here, while everyone else was down at the beach watching fireworks, I sat on the front porch, in the moonlight, and flowed. I started a fictional work based on fact, and during the writing process I was invigorated with that creative spark that has been missing for so long.
Writers are a very self-conscious lot, and we really need to hear from others that our art is commendable, but even at the beginning stages of my latest work, I’m convinced that I really do have some talent. We’ll see where the work goes, but for now, I’m just excited that I started something after a three-year hiatus during which time I didn’t feel any inspiration at all.
The only thing that’s left is something that I talk to my students about: writing endurance. I don’t have much of it because I have been out of the game for so long. I’ve only been able to produce about a page and a half at a time. When I’m really flowing and going well, I can put forth about five pages in one sitting. That takes more time, but I often get lost in my work and lose all concept of time; those are the really great moments of composition.
So I’m going to try to keep up with the writing, developing more endurance for it, and trying to produce a lasting, significant work of fiction. My only other question is whether I have enough in me to come up with a full length novel like my other two completed projects. Only time will tell.
A Bipolar Life 