Mama Mia

My buddy Dave

For the last two weeks I have either been preparing for, actually in, or recovering from, a ten day trip to Italy. The entire adventure has been beyond awesome. From the overseas flights, to and from Italy, to the utter pleasure of the beautiful countryside and cities, plus the intense madness of Italian roads, it’s been great. But it’s over, we’re home, recovering from the time change and getting things back to normal. I never thought a bowl of Cheerios just before bed, after being up nineteen hours, and crossing six time zones, could taste so good.

 

I haven’t touched my novel, read any writing blogs or even thought about the written word for fourteen days. Though I thought I’d take trip-notes, I did not; too tired and wound, from site seeing and eating. Barely even thought of my column either. As wonderful as this vacation from the everyday has been for my body, the much needed break from writing has been a godsend.

But now, with renewed effort I’m anxious to finish my novel and to plunge again into what we called in the sixties, “the groove”.

I am astounded by how wonderful it is to get back to that which I was so anxious to leave. The world is a wondrous place but home is truly where my heart belongs.

When was the last time you got to take a break?

Have I slipped a disk?

I have a dilemma.

Half of the sturdy vertebrae within the backbone of my current WIP, is based on the name of a business which has been in operation in my part for the world for decades and still exists. Known locally by a few, it’s basically unknown within a five mile radius. The name, type of business and its current physical and financial condition is everything to my story. It creates a clever framework, a background, a lifeblood for my characters. More importantly it sheds light on (and answers) the results of a (timely) fascinating socioeconomic downfall. From mansion to flop house, it opens doors to a side of life, hopefully, many of us will never see.

My dilemma.

Though this novel is as fictional as I am real, I am forced to ask, what are the legalities regarding the usage of the business name?

In more pliant words, when, (notice I did not say ‘if’), the novel is published, and when it becomes successful, would Mr. Little Guy be able to claim rights and financial remuneration, from Ms. Finally Successful in Fiction Writer?

I am so used to the parameters of non-fiction (getting things right) that it makes me wonder if an agent or publisher would steer clear because of fears regarding a lawsuit. Me, I’m diving in and plugging along because I believe it’s a great story. I’m just trying to do it proud.

Dilemma or no dilemma?

Sweet dreams

I’m sitting at my kitchen table with my 20 month old granddaughter in a high chair opposite me. She’s eating breakfast and watching Curious George, I’m typing this and drinking my second cup of coffee. Okay, she’s finished, we’re off.

I’m back, fun morning, great lunch and she’s down for a nap.

I’m doing now, what I did over twenty-five years ago, writing while a baby naps. Way back then, it was during the naps of my two daughters that I wrote, got my first byline, and was off and running on newsprint. Prior to that, writing always seemed like such a waste of time but when the girls slept, my heart and feet were glued to home so I wrote. I could have cleaned, sorted laundry, or napped myself, but I took their nap time and made it my time to write.

Now I’m doing the same thing. The difference this time is that it’s only one day a week. The rest of the days I’m a fanatic on the laptop, doing research and working on my current project, but today, it’s my day to babysit, I’ll write about her, sort-of.

A lot of folks claim that because their lives are busy they have no time to write. But actually it’s easy to carve out time from the edges of your life. You just have to teach yourself to turn it on and off during the few minutes you get in between that which you do for the rest of the time, live.

So sleep little one, sleep peacefully. I’ll write for a while.

Yawn.

Maybe this time I’ll nap too.

Are you a napper, a writer or just plain exhausted?