The Drive To Create

 

Good Morning out there-

 We've arrived at the New Orleans apartment after an uneventful drive down (the best kind of drive, really) last week. It's taken about that long to get settled in and work into a routine and I think everyone is feeling a bit more relaxed now. Part of the routine is dog-walking. Unlike in rural Northern Michigan, there is no fenced-in back yard here in the Treme where we can open the back door and let the dogs out on demand. Now we get up early in the morning and take them out on a walk first thing. Sometimes they go back again after they've eaten. Then mid-afternoon and again just before bed at night. Having large dogs in the city is not at all convenient and if I were to live here full time would not have gotten two! The dogs seem to be enjoying their new surroundings though, so there's that. 

  I'm beginning day two of painting a mural for the front balcony- I expect to be done today which is good; I'm normally a start and finish in one go kind of painter but this is on a much larger scale than I normally work with, so multiple days it is! 

 My husband has begun one of the jobs scheduled for our time here adding to a more normal routine rather than a 'vacation' vibe that prevailed in the first few days of our arrival. 

  I have not settled in enough to start work again on Book 3 but I will... I need to figure out when to write, morning or evening. Up north I write in the morning but I haven't felt that groove here so I'm going to feel out the evenings and see if that's a time that works for me. I'm a picky writer- I need to 'feel it' and so far I haven't. Probably a couple of things:  first is the move and settle in time along with a time change that always throws me out of wack. Secondly- as much as I hate to admit it- has been the lukewarm reception of Book 2 thus far. I try to remind myself that I create because the process is fulfilling but reception does count and so far it's been fairly blah. Hopefully, that will change once the holidays are past us but if not I need to just buckle down and keep writing...  I'm proud of the first two books and believe that book 3 will be amazing... 

 But for today the creative outlet is paint. As soon as I straighten up the kitchen and put a quiche in the oven then I'll get back to work on that project... 

 I Hope everyone had a lovely and magical Holiday season <3