ROAD BLOCKS: RETRACING YOUR STEPS

"When you come to a fork in the road, take it." (attributed to) Yogi Berra

This has been one of those weeks when I did little writing but accomplished a lot of other things. Mainly my classes took up a lot of time and energy. Most of the week was spent in writing-related activities, but hardly any in actual writing.

Monday I worked at the daycare and in the evening went to my writer's critique group. By the time I got home I was sick, came down with a bad cold. Dragged myself around the next day, errands and other routines. Sat in my favourite cafe drinking a latte while I read more of my current favorite book, Steve Pressfield's "Tides of War". While reading, I had a sudden brain-wave about how to get 'unstuck' from the writer's block that has plagued me since last week. As if a light went on in my brain, I 'saw' what needed to be done -- at least what might 'work'. I'd written myself into a road block and I needed to retrace my steps, possibly put the chapter segements I'd just written in a different order, and hopefully it will open things up for me. Like going back to that fork in the road and taking the other route.

Because I've been teaching classes all week as well as attending to other duties (and pleasures) I haven't had time yet to try out my new plan. But I'm pretty sure it's going to work. Thank god for 'cut and paste'! Remember when we had to retype everything?

A busy weekend coming up but I'm determined to make time for my writing. And I'm sure that once I get over this hurdle, everything will move forward quickly again. It's like the old saying "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!"

"Do the best one can. Do it over again. Then still improve, even if ever so slightly, those retouches. 'It is myself that I remake,' said the poet Yeats in speaking of his revisions."
Marguerite Yourcenar