by Katherine Reay, @Katherine_Reay
In a world that moves fast, deadlines loom and there’s always more to be done than the time we have to do it, taking one’s time – at anything – feels like an impossible luxury. But our writing needs it…
I’ll be the first to admit that I recognize that moment – the moment when I know the deadline is just a tiny bit closer than comfort and my adrenaline starts to pump and the word flow because they must. There is no other option.
Is that the best way to write?
Perhaps it is, for a portion of a story’s journey, but certainly not for its entirety. Writing a novel is somewhat like a great slow-cooked meal. You need to do some fast advance work, but you also need time to let all that flavor simmer.
Layers develop over time. I don’t mean years – hours, days, or a couple weeks, if one can manage it, will help. That time lets a story sink deeper. Connections and nuances will rise to the surface that you couldn’t see while in the weeds of writing. The distance puts your story in a slightly different light and reveals treasures you didn’t know you’d written. You need time.
So as you race to your next deadline, try to build in a little time here and there to step away from your story – a few days in which you do not touch it, no matter how much your fingers itch to tap out a few scenes. Let the characters simply exist in your subconscious and I expect you’ll see sides of them and aspects of the story you created unawares. And when that happens, it’s magic as you get to pull them out, make their influences deeper – and make your story increasingly rich.
Enjoy the journey – and the time.
Thanks for spending a moment with me today…
Katherine
Mary Davies finds safety in her ordered and productive life. Working as an engineer, she genuinely enjoys her job and her colleagues – particularly a certain adorable and intelligent consultant. But something is missing. When Mary’s estranged childhood friend, Isabel Dwyer offers her a two-week stay in a gorgeous manor house in England, she reluctantly agrees in hopes that the holiday will shake up her quiet life in just the right ways.
But Mary gets more than she bargained for when Isabel loses her memory and fully believes she lives in Jane Austen’s Bath. While Isabel rests and delights in the leisure of a Regency lady, attended by other costume-clad guests, Mary uncovers startling truths about their shared past, who Isabel was, who she seems to be, and the man who now stands between them.
Outings are undertaken, misunderstandings play out, and dancing ensues as this company of clever, well-informed people, who have a great deal of conversation, work out their lives and hearts.
Katherine Reay is the bestselling and award-winning author of Dear Mr. Knightley, Lizzy & Jane, The Bronte Plot, A Portrait of Emily Price, which released in November 2016 with Starred Reviews from Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and a Romantic Times TOP PICK! Her latest, The Austen Escape released November 2017. All Katherine’s novels are contemporary stories with a bit of classical flair. She holds a BA and MS from Northwestern University and is a wife, mother, rehabbing runner, former marketer, and avid chocolate consumer. After living all across the country and a few stops in Europe, Katherine now happily resides outside Chicago, IL. You can meet her at www.katherinereay.com or on Facebook: KatherineReayBooks, Twitter: @katherine_reay or Instagram: @katherinereay.