Okay… maybe not eating it.

So I finished my revision… now what?  As a way to deal with the dismal No Man’s Land that lurks between revisions and new projects, I’ve been getting crafty.  This past September at the SCBWI Working Writers’ Retreat, the creative Julie Williams gave us some unusual ideas about how to build an authentic world for our stories.  Found-book collages, paper dolls, and object-inspired writing exercises made me realize that there’s more to grounding yourself in a new world than outlines and brainstorms.

I’ve had some ‘in between’ time on my hands, so I pulled out my notes for my next book and got to work.  Or play, rather.  You can see I’ve made a mess. But that’s what it’s all about.  Or is that the hokey-pokey?

As I construct this world in a literal, hands-on way, specific and rich details are floating into my brain like gifts from the ether.  Scenes have begun playing themselves out in front of me and characters are finding forms.

It’s been a fantastic way to travel from the analytical territory of revisions to the open space of creation. And it’s reminded me that this whole venture is supposed to be fun.  Here’s a peek at the world I’m just starting to imagine.