Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Ah, Joy

There is great joy to be found in the world. Sunny skies. Red cardinals perching on berry-laden branches. A child's giggles. Moist chocolate cake with a thick layer of frosting. Kisses. Hugs. A prayer answered.

There's also joy found in writing.

Crafting the perfect sentence. Getting an idea and rushing to write it down. Receiving a positive response from an agent or editor. Immersing yourself in your world so fully that time races by. Having your work published.

Lots of joy.

What has given you the most joy lately in your writing?

22 comments:

  1. Moist chocolate cake. Yum!

    The most joy in my writing? Receiving the email from my editor this morning to say that finally the edits were done and the book was heading for production. I couldn't have faced looking at it again. ;)

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    1. That's wonderful, Shirley! Congrats!!!

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  2. Totally agree with you :)

    Right now I'm in between projects, but coming up with ideas for the next one has been fun. But being in between, I'm doing a lot of reading and tv watching, so Downton Abbey has been my joy of late :)

    Sarah Allen
    (my creative writing blog)

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    1. Ahh...Downton Abbey! Totally addicted and in love with this show.

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  3. We went cross country skiing as a family yesterday in the mountains. That made me all kinds of happy.

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  4. Offer of representation from a wonderful agent last week. THAT was pretty joyous. :)

    Then, early this AM, I realized something about my character that felt like a piece of puzzle sliding neatly into place. Pure writerly joy. Now I'm back in the manuscript, shading, deepening, strengthening. My favorite kind of revising. Then back to the agent, & we'll go from there.

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    1. Christine!!! That is AWESOME news! Congrats!

      And I can totally relate to the puzzle sliding into place. That is sheer joy!

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  5. I'm going through a far from joyful stage with my writing, so I will bathe in the reflection of everyone else's joy!! Thank you. :)

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    1. JT - I hope the joy returns, and soon!

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  6. Anonymous4:21 PM

    I'm finding joy in the discovery right now. I'm getting to know a character and it's fun for me. (In pre-planning for a new book.)

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    1. Oh, I love the pre-planning phase! Everything still looks beautiful in our mind. ;-)

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  7. First, I can tell from this happy post that you're feeling better and must be on the mend, so hurray for that :)

    As for joy from my writing, seeing my manuscript now in book form and ready to launch is right up there in the joy factor.

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    1. Joanne, it's so cool that you have taken the plunge in publishing your book. You deserve to feel a lot of joy and satisfaction right now!

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  8. Oh my dear, you had me at the cake and frosting. It's amazing how sugar has that effect!

    Today I figured out how to copy the design of a vintage bag. I was so proud of myself! I feel so grateful for the skills and God given talent I've been given, because creating truly brings me joy:)

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    1. Good for you, Valerie! You're so talented. :-)

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  9. My whole family was together on Sunday to celebrate my cousin and my birthdays. This is super special because a few of them have been having health issues and are now on the mend.

    We had so much fun!

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    1. I LOVE big family get-togethers. And you had an even better reason to celebrate!

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  10. Wonderful, succinct post! Two lovely reviews recently made my day, as did a quote from a four-year-old about peace that kicked me into plotting gear. But perhaps the biggest joy is being reminded how precious is doing what I love. My husband's had a few blah work days lately, and I am humbled by the awareness of what my amazing, at times boggling, but always rewarding days entail.

    Hope your recovery is moving right along!

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    1. Yay for the great reviews! I love what you said, too, about being reminded about how wonderful it is to be able to do what we love. It is indeed a blessing.

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  11. What a great post... it's good to be reminded to take notice of joy.

    Right now I'm revising, and I think my joy comes in being able to see really clearly when something isn't working and knowing exactly how to fix it.

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    1. I love that feeling, too, Heidi. When things "click" and everything makes sense...it's true bliss.

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