Emily Post Later in Life
I have been writing for two hours, not one word of it on my actual manuscript. I have reached the place where I have to make a large point. Everything in the book has been leading to this moment. I probably have a paragraph…two at the very most…to say some very conclusive things and I am terrified!
So I have been alternately scribbling on a legal pad and typing on a document entitled “Emily, extra thoughts” all morning. I have scribbled (and then typed) words and words and more words. I have sat and thought, looking out the window at trees and cars and people. Then I have written more words. Somewhere in thicket of all these words are the exact ones I need to express – in a paragraph or maybe two – exactly what I need to say.
Tonight, my husband will know I’ve gone “distant.” I will be thinking about this paragraph (or two…will I have the luxury of two???) all evening. Tomorrow, when I hit the gym and shower, I will still be thinking. When I again settle in to write – even after all the thinking – I may well fail to produce my paragraph. So I’ll try again the next day and then the day after that, if need be. I have to believe I will find the words I’m in search of very soon, before I lose courage and begin to question whether or not I’m a Real Writer.
I guess that’s the writing life. One day, several pages dashed off without breaking a sweat. And then….these terrifying, make-or-break moments.
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Connie Nordhielm Wooldridge, Author
Biography | View
- Just Fine They Way They Are (Calkins Creek, March 1, 2011)
- The Brave Escape of Edith Wharton (Clarion Books, 2010)
- Thank You Very Much, Captain Ericsson! (Holiday House, 2005; Berndtsdotter Books, 2012)
- When Esther Morris Headed West (Holiday House, 2001)
- The Legend of Strap Buckner (Holiday House, 2001)
- Wicked Jack (Holiday House, 1995)
Speaker / Presenter
Connie is an experienced speaker and presenter who enjoys sharing her passion for writing and her experience as a writer with readers and writers of all ages. She has presented to students, community, civic and professional organizations, writing groups, library audiences, and seniors – wherever book lovers gather!
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