Bringing it Forth

Kathy's wonderful post had me thinking about the whole process of creating a novel. Kathy is in the early stages but there is a long way to go. Lots of writers talk about giving birth to their novel, and yes it is just like that. The whole process is akin to pregnancy. This is how I see it anyway.

First there is the exhileration, hey the birth of an idea, voices, feelings, something there inside you. You are not sterile, your mind has not vegetated, you are creative. This carries you along, and fortunately you don't have all those horrid early feelings you have in pregnancy, like morning sickness and a general feeling of lassitude, but you have those good feelings to carry you along. Your baby is doing fine - those characters are swimming around your mind and getting up to all kinds of things.

Is it all plain sailing? Of course not - you get past the middle and then that lumpen feeling sets in - where is this going? When will it end, what will I do when it does end? Will I be a successful mother and know how to turn my creation into something sellable.

Then it's over - there it is in the crib of the computer, looking at at you, all perfect, you read it over, marvelling and of course doubting, because this little guy is going to cause you a lot of worry when it sets off on its own into the competitive world of book publishing. And like many parents you do wonder, is this the kid that is going to keep you in your old age? All our hopes and dreams and aspirations are in this little fellow. We hope he won't let us down.

Oh yes, Kathy and I are in the early stages now and enjoying it, we don't have to worry just yet, now is just the perfect time...

Cheers, Margaret.