“Postcard from the Edge,” Guest Blog by Kimberly Stuart

Kimberly Stuart is the author of the Heidi Elliott series, Balancing Act (NavPress, 2006) and Bottom Line (NavPress, 2007). Her third book, Act Two: A Novel In Perfect Pitch (David C. Cook), releases nationwide May 2008.

“Postcard from the Edge”

Dude. You people are motivated. I’ve followed your posts. I’ve read the archives. And you are no group of literary slackers. You write, you publish, you read, you edit, you respond thoughtfully to each other, and you eat balanced meals. Me, too. Totally.

But on the off chance that someone out there in Novel Journey Land is having difficulties writing today or this week or thus far in 2008, I’m Kimberly Stuart and I’m here to encourage, one writing ragamuffin to another.

My novel, Act Two, releases May 1, 2008. It represents a hearty helping of take-out, questionable hygiene, and dastardly inattention to important things childcare. I’m not trying to be melodramatic. Rather, I merely want to give a snapshot of what the Stuart home looked like in the months Act Two was being birthed. Perhaps this postcard from the edge will prompt you to take your own hand-printed journey toward finishing your work-in-progress.

First, I did not wear an ascot, sip sherry, and listen to Vivaldi by a roaring fire. Three books into this writing life and I’m still disappointed most of my work occurs on my couch with a cranky laptop, my eyes darting to the clock to make sure I don’t miss my daughter’s preschool pick-up time or forget to retrieve my son from his nap. No ascots, just jeans and shirts that may or may not contain a dazzling imprint of our lunch menu. (See above for nutritional information.)

Second, I worked for 1000 words, then shut my laptop in triumph and walked away. The word count is not the issue here. To each his or her own when it comes to output in a given day. But the benchmark is key. Fighting the urge to stare out the window at that fascinating elderly woman in a blue plastic headscarf who appears to be tap dancing in her front yard will, in fact, force you to write your novel, bit by bit. When the words are down for the day, reward yourself with head scarf intrigue, but not one scintillating verb before.

Third, I took a research trip. This was the first time I’d traveled with the express purpose of entering the world of my character and I must say, my next novel will place inside a spa in Fiji. For Act Two, I spent some time in New York, soaking up my surroundings, walking, eating, wandering in my protagonist’s “shoes.” Upon returning home, I filled in the gaps of my trip by quizzing mercilessly friends who live in Manhattan. The time I spent in my character’s stomping grounds, however, added authenticity and flavor to my story. Money and time well spent (and gloriously tax deductible!).

Finally, I took time away from the manuscript after it was finished but before submission. Stephen King writes about the value of this in On Writing. Sometimes deadlines don’t allow for this indulgence, but I cannot emphasize enough how the book and I both benefited from time apart. For me, this meant four weeks of “writing silence” before tackling a nitpicky edit. The result was a much cleaner submitted manuscript, which allowed my editor and I to dissect the arc of the story, character depth, sharpness of dialogue in a less hurried fashion. Something about that absence making the heart grow fonder… It was true of Chad White at junior high camp and it’s true of our writing.

Godspeed to each of you in your writing adventure! May you shower regularly, laugh often, and remember to show yourself grace now, worry about eating your vegetables later.