by David Rawlings, @DavidJRawlings
I’m constantly hearing the phrase “new normal” being bandied around the media. Once we go back to normal, what will the “new normal” even look like? It almost certainly won’t look like the normal we left when we all headed inside and locked the doors.
The “new normal” is sometimes spoken about with some kind of trepidation – almost as if it’s a negative. That what we’ve left behind is going to be missed.
But what if it’s not? I’d like to suggest that we could use the “new normal” as a positive. I intend to use it as a reset for my own writing, and what I’m leaving behind will be replaced by something better.
And that will become in my “new normal”.
So what will I be leaving behind, and what will it be replaced with?
- I’ll be leaving behind a complete focus on a deadline as a specific date in time, and replacing it with smaller deadlines to help me reach it. I’ve found more regular (and smaller) deadlines during this lockdown has actually helped me write MORE.
- I’ll be leaving behind a 100% time commitment to writing and replacing it with a 90% commitment to writing and 10% commitment to reading. I’ve found that in picking up the books I never got around to, my writing has improved.
- I’ll be leaving behind a commitment to social media quantity and replacing it with a commitment to quantity. Let’s be honest – as authors we feel under pressure to post incessantly, but I’ve found better responses to quality posts rather than a deluge of them.
I’ve decided to make these things a part of my “new normal” because I’ve had a chance to take breath—a break—and re-evaluate.
So what about you? What could you make a part of your “new normal” as a writer?
Andy, Bree, Eliza and Lincoln were inseparable in College. When they graduated, they pledged that when they turned 35, they would reconnect, go on a big adventure and share stories of their successes. Life has since pulled them in different directions, but now it’s time to make good on old promises.
They head to central Australia for a Walkabout Tour in the Outback. Lincoln wants to show to a certain someone what she missed out on back in College. Eliza is almost at the top of the fashion industry in LA and wants to rediscover her purpose in life and Andy just wants to disappear for a while. And Bree wants to know if she can put to bed her dream of becoming a musician, which never eventuated.
Arriving in central Australia, they are taken to a remote campsite in the rugged and dangerous beauty of Australia’s heart. And while they enjoy the gorgeous wildlife and beautiful sights, eating native bush food and learning to throw a boomerang, they soon find their reconnection doesn’t flare into life like they thought it would, and issues from the College years start to creep back in ways they never expected.
After an overnight dust storm, they find themselves separated and needing find their way back to their campsite. Lost, hot and thirsty in the Australian Outback, they are stripped away of who they thought they were and. As they try to find out where they are, they are confronted with not just who they are, but where they are on the road of life. And how they got there.
Based in South Australia, David Rawlings is an award-winning author, and a sports-mad father-of-three with his own copywriting business who reads everything within an arm’s reach. He writes that take you deeper into life, posing questions of readers to explore their own faith and how they approach life.
His debut novel – The Baggage Handler – won the 2019 Christy Award for First Novel. His second novel – The Camera Never Lies – focuses on honesty in relationships and is now available.
Where the Road Bends – a novel based in outback Australia – is available for pre-order and launches on June 2. Why not take a virtual vacation during your time at home?
He is currently signed with Thomas Nelson and represented by The Steve Laube Agency.