New Year’s Resolutions with Tessa
Every January, I buy new calendars for my house. I usually wait until after the holidays, just in case one finds its way into my stocking. So, by the time I finally make it to the calendar shops, it’s pretty slim pickings to say the least. Perfect if you’re looking for cute Chihuahuas or One Direction; not so much if you prefer dragons or Game of Thrones.
Once safe at home with my pages of possibilities, I carefully jot down the important dates. Birthdays, anniversaries, and work holidays are carefully inked in their corresponding squares. Then, as most people, I hang it next to the phone with the idea that, for each new event, I will add it to the schedule.
Talk about best laid plans. Instead, most of the time, my husband and I rely on each other to remember whose party we have on Saturday. Needless to say, things get missed and forgotten along the way.
A little over four years ago, I truly began my journey as an author. One book published and so many more ideas percolating in my little mind. Calendars changed and the stories continued to flow. Yet, at no time did I ever think about creating a calendar for my writing. I have a schedule.
Sort of.
After working at the day job as a high school teacher, I drag my weary butt into my “office” (aka, the corner of the couch) and fire up my laptop. Convinced that the mere act of staring at the screen would awaken the muse, I open my current work in progress.
Then I check my emails.
Then Facebook.
All the while, my unfinished page hides beneath the pile of open apps, kitten videos, and quizzes determining my Hogwarts house. (It’s Gryffindor, in case you were wondering.)
The calendar pages flip by and the words crawl onto the page.
So, for the first time since deciding to pursue my writing, I have made resolutions. And, as opposed to most other resolutions made in a champagne-induced haze, these are realistic.
Resolution #1: Be kind to myself.
I know I’m not a perfect writer and I don’t have to be. I just need to get words onto a page so I can have a jumping-off point. So many times in the past, I’ve agonized over finding the exact, right word and ended up losing my momentum, not to mention my train of thought. I have learned of the power of the parenthetical and the ability to keep moving.
Resolution #2: It’s okay to step away from the keyboard.
Since I have a day job that devours most of my life, I’ve become very stingy with my writing times. But just because I have the time doesn’t always mean that my muse is going to strike. I’m slowly learning to not feel guilty when the words aren’t coming. (See resolution #1)
Resolution #3: Life happens beyond the page.
It’s something of which my husband reminds me, and quite often, in fact. He’ll drag me out for a movie, or a late afternoon walk, or even a meal. As frustrated as I might get, especially when I’m on deadline, if all I am truly doing is mucking about on social media sites, I might as well be out in the real world. Sometimes while on our stroll around the neighborhood, I see something that kick-starts an idea. Maybe even a conversation overheard while waiting for the movie to begin can help cement character quirks for that pesky character.
Have these resolutions changed my writing life? Well, not yet. I still open my laptop the moment I get home, and I’m still staring at the confounded blank page. But I’m getting there. Each calendar day that passes is a new opportunity to test my resolve and to spark my muse.
Come back in June and I’ll let you know how it worked out.
To Discover a Divine
by Tessa McFionn
Rise of the Stria Book 1
Everlasting
March 20, 2018
Sci-Fi Romance
When Kahlym cal Jhuen, freedom-fighting leader of the Chandar Stria, breaks into a prison ship controlled by the Rimmarian Thrall, he only expected to rescue two of his crew. But when he discovers a terrified female during his escape, he is immediately captivated by her unique beauty and makes a snap decision to bring her with him. However, his good deed backfires as he learns he has stolen the Thrall Emperor’s prize.
Down to her last dollar, Evainne Wagner expected nothing out of the ordinary when she stepped out of the front door of her Boston apartment. Instead, she found herself in the middle of an intergalactic firefight, complete with strange soldiers with deadly looking weapons pointed directly at her. Salvation arrives in the nick of time in the form of a mysterious leather-clad warrior, skidding in and whisking her away. Trusting her heart, she follows, hoping to find answers as well as a way home.
Safely on board his ship, he learns more about her and her rare skills, triggering the memory of a half-forgotten prophecy spoken at the time of his cursed birth. Outcast because of a cruel twist of fate, he finds unexpected acceptance, even affection, from his new passenger.
Could she be the one who holds the future of his people, as well as his own heart, in her tender hands?
About the Author:
Tessa McFionn is a very native Californian and has called Southern California home for most of her life, growing up in San Diego and attending college in Northern California and Orange County, only to return to San Diego to work as a teacher. Insatiably curious and imaginative, she loves to learn and discover, making her wicked knowledge of trivial facts an unwelcomed guest at many Trivial Pursuit boards.
When not writing, she can be found at the movies or at Disneyland with her husband, as well as family, friends or anyone who wants to play at the Happiest Place on Earth. She also finds her artistic soul fed through her passions for theatre, dance and music.
A proud parent of far too many high school seniors and two still living house plants, she also enjoys hockey, reading and playing Words With Friends to keep her vocabulary sharp. She is currently the treasurer of the San Diego chapter of Romance Writers of America and loves spending time working with such amazingly intelligent and creative writers.
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