Tessa McDermid

"Time once again got away from me."  At least, that was my first thought when I checked my website and realized I hadn’t added an entry for a week. 

But then I started thinking about that phrase.  How can time get away from me?  It’s always there, following me around.  Time is in the air I breathe, the food I eat, the books I read, the chores I run.  Time is ticking away, moment by moment, hour by hour, day by day, year by year.

So, how am I going to spend my time?  That’s the real question.  Early on, I learned the concept of ‘opportunity cost’ and I would share it with my students, no matter if they were in kindergarten or upper elementary.  Every choice we make is countered by another choice.  You can choose to watch TV but what aren’t you doing while you watch?  Are you not working on your proposal, your chapter, your page that could be the next step to a finished book?  Do you write or visit a friend?  Every action has a cost and we have to weigh those against each other.

Years ago, I found a quote that I’ve used for my guilding light ever since.  I apologize for having no source — if someone knows, please tell me.  I don’t think I created it for one of my workshops but I would love to take credit!

I don’t always follow it but I’ve tried to keep it part of my consciousness, so at least I know when I’m detouring.    "The only way to live is to accept each minute as an unrepeatable miracle, which is exactly what it is:  a miracle and unrepeatable." 

Have a great and miraculous day, whatever you choose to do!

We’re going through that Midwestern time of year when it’s not really summer and not really fall. Today, the temperature was a cool 76 degrees. After 90 and 100 degree days, it felt heavenly. Just walking out to pick up the newspaper was a treat, with a cool breeze blowing on my face.

Tomorrow, the weather is supposed to climb back into the upper 80’s, with cooler weather possibly arriving later in the week. After that, the weatherpersons will take another stab at the unpredictable possibilities.

So, what does this have to do with writing? One of the reasons I love living in the Midwest is the changing seasons. I like seeing the golden leaves of our neighbors’ tree when I sit in the living room. I also enjoy that first peek of the buds on the trees right after a cold winter. And a snow day can bring out the kid in me just as fast as my boys can pull out their sleds and snowboots.

The change in temperature helps me with my writing. When the boys were babies, I read a parenting tip that said to change their temperature when they were crying. If inside, go outside. If outside, go inside. Just the shift would make them settle down, interested in the new sensation. It worked every time.

So, for me, the change in weather gives me a new sensation. The crisp feel of fall, the changing leaves. . . all give me a new lease on life and I can look at my story differently. After playing outside in the snow for an hour or two, I love warming up with my characters again. And when it’s hot and muggy, it’s the perfect time to sit next to the fan and bring up some conflict for my hero and heroine.

And the change doesn’t have to be major, from hot summer to snowy winter. For years, we lived down south and I still noticed the subtle changes of the season. Some of that change was due to dates: the start of school, summer, holiday time. Just enough to shift my brain into another direction.

So, if you’re a writer, have you found that the seasons make a difference to your writing? If you’re a reader, do you choose books differently based on the seasons?

I usually have a book about writing somewhere handy for those odd moments when I’m waiting for the bank teller or soccer practice to be over. Right now, I’m reading Writing For the Soul, by Jerry B. Jenkins, On page 8, right at the beginning of the book he says "Writing may be art and craft, but it is also your job. Factory workers and executives don’t get to call in and say, "I have worker’s block today." They would be told to get their behinds into the workplace or look for another job."

I’ve read variations of that in other books, heard it from other writers, know it in my own mind and heart. I have even tried to put a different spin on the idea of a writer’s block, from a great present I received years ago at our writer’s guild Christmas party — three children’s blocks covered with quotes and words relating to writing. Those three blocks sit next to my monitor, a reminder that blocks are used to build things and I can build my own stories and articles.

So, that’s what I need to be doing. Building and writing. Not worrying about whether my muse is at home. If I’m not sitting in front of the computer, my fingers on the keyboard, my fanny in the chair, why in the world should my muse show up? I’m the one who’s supposed to be working.

So, tell me. What do you do to keep yourself moving forward? Do you wait for your muse to show up? I’m off now to put the finishing touches on my chapter — once I open that file, I’m hoping the muse is there to give me the last final idea!

The question came up at the Everlasting Loop at eHarlequin (http://community.eharlequin.com) about knowing any real-life everlasting love stories.  Several memories of grandparents were shared, with examples of them living and loving together for years.   

Of course, that conversation started a lot of questions in my mind — which is how I always end up working toward another book idea.  Can everlasting loves only be discovered after the fact?  Does a love have to stand the full test of time before it’s considered everlasting?  

With fiction, it’s easy to know that a love will be everlasting — the authors can create a couple who will stay together, weathering all the ups and downs of a relationship, surviving the rough times, and making it to the end of their lives.  As real people, it’s trickier.  We may want to have an everlasting love, we may think we’re on the right track for an everlasting love, and then. . . life may get in the way.

But isn’t that what a romance can do — show how couples do work through problems, do listen and come back together after a crisis?  The biggest complaint we usually hear from critics of romance novels is that they’re make-believe, not real life.  But aren’t the best books reflecting real life, giving authors and characters a chance to make sense of a world that sometimes doesn’t make sense?  I explore relationships when I write my books, looking at ways to keep my characters together through the craziness of their lives. 

I want to do the same thing with my husband.   Life has thrown us a lot of curves, just like it does for everyone.  We’ve moved to new communities, changed jobs, had children. . . in short, dealt with all the things that happen to people.  Sometimes our life has been a comedy.  Sometimes we’ve had suspense and tragedy.

So, our books are fiction and yet they mirror life.  They’re realistic and yet an escape from our everyday world.  And when all is said and done, I hope my real life love is just as everlasting as the loves I portray in my books.

Family Stories means several things to me.  First, it’s the title of my book that will be coming out in May 2007 from Harlequin’s new Everlasting line.  Info about the first books in the line should be available soon.  General information can be found at eHarlequin.com and sometime in September, I’ll be profiled on the website (will provide a link when it’s up).

I also think of the many stories that I heard over the years, from grandparents, aunts, and uncles, all the relatives who gathered together for holidays.  We moved a lot when I was growing up and usually weren’t around family except for major occasions.  I treasured those times and would sit in a corner of the room, gathering stories until someone would notice and send me away.

Now I’m creating my own family stories with my husband and our two sons.  We have tales to tell of vacations that had crazy outcomes, people we’ve met over the years, adventures we’ve had in daily living.  Just a certain word can conjure up giggles among us — a family shorthand that brings us closer together.

And isn’t that what the greatest stories we read do for us?  They provide us with an opportunity to grow closer together as we enjoy the adventures of the hero/heroine in whatever book we’re reading.   For that span of time, we’re part of their family and their lives.

I’m thrilled to be part of the romance family and look forward to lots of stories, both as a writer and a reader.  What stories do you have to share?