Finding Creative Rest
After Turning in a Project
It’s been a while since I posted and that is largely because I have spent most of the last autumn, winter, and half of spring heavily drafting an adult novel I’ve been working on. But last week I finally typed my two favorite words (The End!!) and emailed it off to my agent and a trusted beta reader.
Almost immediately, a large weight lifted off my shoulders. I’ve been working on this project in between revising THE LIBRARY OF CURIOSITIES since November of 2023, so it felt like a huge accomplishment to finally, finally, finally, finish the first draft.
It comes at just the right time. Spring is the moment when I start to shake off winter’s inertia. When I want to step away from my desk and experience all the delights the season offers. For me, creative rest doesn’t just mean getting more sleep (although that’s part of it), it means refilling the well. Doing all the things that will help me get into a healthy, rejuvenated space so that when I get the manuscript back from my agent and beta reader I can begin the process of revising with fresh eyes before sending it to my editor.
In the same way that I employ certain practices as part of my creative tool kit while I’m actively writing, I have certain things I pursue while I’m actively resting. Walking at my favorite park. Walking in my neighborhood. Walking my dog. Lots and lots of walking.
Also, filling up on beauty. I’m a big proponent of practicing The Art of Noticing, but even more so when I’m in between projects, because in order to truly rest, I need to remember this world is beautiful, even if I wish so many things about it were different.
Besides filling up on beauty, I also focus on the other parts of my life I put on the back-burner while I was drafting. It’s a lot less “fun” than the above, but it’s still necessary. While I’m at the end stages of drafting a new project I have a tendency to get tunnel vision and ignore whole sections of my life so I can just Get. The. Book. Done. Now that I have a little more time on my hands I’m cleaning my house; wading through the pile of bills, receipts, and other paperwork that’s stacked up on my desk; making doctor’s appointments; and taking time to see friends.
Another thing I do after finish drafting a project is buy a new notebook and allow myself to play with different ideas that may or may not turn into the next book I write. It’s sort of like dating after getting out of a serious relationship: a lot of unhinged fun and zero commitment! My newest notebook is a midnight blue Moleskine and inside it I collect sensory details, snatches of dialogue that stand out, images I keep coming back to, vague story ideas that keep coming up, even if I’m not quite sure what to do with them. Experience has taught me when the story is ready, enough of it will come together that I can start writing it. But for now, it’s creatively energizing to play in a new journal without knowing what comes next.
So that will be what I’m doing for a while. Resting, and getting healthy while I wait for editorial feedback…and also releasing a new middle grade novel! In case you missed it, THE LIBRARY OF CURIOSITIES releases on July, 22, 2025, and has been named a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard pick! The book can be pre-ordered here.
(Image Credit: Lisa Schmid)