New Year's is my favorite holiday, though I no longer celebrate it by drinking vast amounts of alcohol and staying up past midnight. What I like about the beginning of the year is the chance to set new goals for myself. I'm a very goal-oriented and results-driven person, so New Year's Resolutions are right up my alley. Sometimes my resolutions are about bettering myself, but this time I have simply set myself two goals for 2010:
1. Finish my novel
2. Climb Mt. Elbert, the highest peak in Colorado (14,433ft). We will ascend via a 3,000ft snow couloir on the West Face.
2. Climb Mt. Elbert, the highest peak in Colorado (14,433ft). We will ascend via a 3,000ft snow couloir on the West Face.
Which of these two goals will be harder to achieve? Tough call.
Writing a novel is similar to climbing a mountain in many ways. There are (occasional) moments of bliss and moments of great suffering. You have to go into it knowing it will hurt. There will be times when you lose all hope and want nothing more than to just give up and admit defeat, and that is when you have to make your greatest effort and keep plodding on.
The nice thing about climbing a mountain is that once you've made it back to where you started, the journey is over. You can sit on the couch for a few days and eat as much pie as you want.
Finishing a novel, however, is just the beginning . . .
This is so true. Which is why I write short fiction and keep telling myself I will someday write the novel I am always researching. I just can't put all that effort into reaching the peak only to realize that another even bigger mountain stands between me and home.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to know that the bigger mountain is there before you even begin. In mountaineering, a "false summit" can crush your spirit if you let it fool you even for a minute.
ReplyDeleteYes, we are fellow mountain climbers on the novel front, Yvette. And I know exactly what you're saying. It's one of the toughest things I've done yet, besides raise kids. But that's a whole other story. And this second novel has been quite the climb. I'm wanting to set up camp and get cozy around the fire, but I can't allow myself to get too lax. There's still much work to be done.
ReplyDeleteI for one, can't wait to read your novel when it's finished! The magic I've seen in your short works will be nothing in comparison. Keep climbing. Maybe we can share some pie at the end, eh?
Thanks for the vote of confidence, Dorraine! BTW, I just treated myself to a copy of your book and am really looking forward to reading it.
ReplyDeleteYou're most welcome!
ReplyDeleteAnd you made me smile. Grin, actually. Thank you so much and I hope you find a little magic between the pages. Now, let's get busy, shall we?