Is the fire still burning?

Apparently, I've been missed ...

When I get emails from my friends asking "why haven't you blogged lately?" I guess it means I need to get off my duff and check in with the rest of the world. I've been wrapped up in my own little corner, between volleyball matches and trying to finish this book.

Before it's over - Music of the moment: Owner of a Lonely Heart (Yes)

That's one of those songs that gets your motor running. Oh, wait, that's Born to Be Wild, right? Never mind. Time to switch back to Beethoven.

The good news is, I found my desk. Yes, I can actually see the top of it. And, I covered some serious ground with the WIP this weekend. Had a lovely lunch on Saturday with the WMVR, her cousin visiting from out of town, and her daughter, and the four of us sat in a booth at Las Palmas and hashed out a much better ending for this book. For a few shaky moments, the cousin and the daughter weren't quite sure what language the WMVR and I were speaking, but there came a time when the WMVR said something, and I stopped in mid-air, and the darling daughter pointed her finger at me and said, "THAT'S the look we were waiting for!" She knows. She's seen it before. It's when someone comes up with one tiny idea, and the writer says, oh boy can I run with that.

We writers keep saying this is a solitary business, we have to do it alone, et cetera, et cetera, blah, blah, blah, ad nauseum. Baloney. Ahem. I've said all this before, in a different context, but it doesn't hurt to revisit the subject every once in a while. (Disclaimers to follow.)

Yes, to a certain extent, we do this alone. We have to put the words on paper ourselves. It's our name on the book, our editors we have to deal with one-on-one, our butts on the line, dependent on the success or failure of the finished product.

But show me a writer who during the writing process doesn't utilize invaluable resources like an independent reader, or a critique group or partner, or even just a great friend who is willing to flop across the bed like a couple of teenagers with a legal pad and a pen and brainstorm for a couple hours, and I'll show you a writer whose work has become lifeless and devoid of emotion. The passion in our work becomes greater when we have someone to share it with who actually gets it. I get excited when I describe what I'm working on and the response is, that sounds great! That's all the encouragement I need.

Does James Patterson have this? Patricia Cornwell? These are big names in our world, and I don't know their answers to that question: Is the fire still burning? You'll come to their defense and say, they wouldn't be cranking out one best-seller after another if they didn't have it, but I respectfully disagree. They're cranking out best-sellers because of their names. And yes, they got there because their first few books were really good. People expect best-seller material when they pick up a name like theirs. But is it there? Or did the fire die a long time ago and they're just cranking out the books for the sake of sale and profit?

I hope I never get to that point. Yes, I want to sell books. But more importantly, I want people to buy them because they're enjoyable to read. If I can entertain just one person for a few hours, it's worth the effort. And I don't want to ever ... EVER ... lose that joy I feel when everything falls into place.

To be fair, there are writers out there whose work just keeps getting better and better, even long into a series. Take Lee Child, for example. The guy knows how to write. He's got the passion. You can see it in each and every Jack Reacher book he's written. (You can see it in his eyes, too, but don't tell him I said so - he's a Brit, and they're supposed to be rather stoic, as I understand it.*)

So, this is what's on my mind today. And on my plate, the final touches on the WIP. Progress will be made.

Read a book. Look for the passion. Is that fire still burning?

=) JB

* Yes, that remark was tongue-in-cheek. If you didn't get that, you need to go back into the archives and get to know me a little better. ;)