Victoria Dougherty writes Cold War historical thrillers, historical fantasy, and personal essays. She's also a book coach, blogger, podcaster, and avid celebrant of the creative life!
Shining daylight on the creative impulse
Hello from the Cold!
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This is going to be a something of a stream of consciousness. An attempt at articulating a process that I'm still smack in the middle of. There will be no neat beginning, middle, and end. At least not today. Nevertheless, I hope you'll indulge me, because I think this could be illuminating.
See, I've been experiencing what I would call a creative stutter. This is not to be confused with writer's block, which is when a writer stares at a blank page for hours, days, or months on end while the whites of her eyes sprout spider veins, and a permanent garland of sweat beads forms along her hairline.
A creative stutter is more akin to having difficulty connecting with the work being put on the page. The most accurate analogy I can conjure is that of a half tuned-in radio station. It's when you've found a great song that you love and want to wiggle your butt to in the bucket seat of your Jeep, but the experience is frustrating and inconsistent. Sometimes the song comes through loud and clear, and you start banging your hands on the steering wheel, belting out the lyrics and thinking, Hey, I sound pretty good. Then all of a sudden, there's a bit of static and the melody is barely audible. It returns a few seconds later but begins to fade again, like it's gone under water. You groan, you play with the dial trying to tune it in, and YES, you're able to get it back! But only for a few lyrics. Just as you start singing along again, shaking your shoulders, swishing your hair from side to side, the static returns. Finally, you turn the dial to another station. It may not be playing the song you want to hear, but at least you can hear it.
This pretty much describes what I've been experiencing.
| Read on, so you, too, can see the light! |
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Cold Podcast
This week in the Cold, I'm sharing with you a story about a centenarian woman I met when I was a teenager. She quite literally changed my perspective and subsequently, my life. She just might do the same for you.
| Listen here for a dose of wisdom, and yes, light. |
Larry's Music Box
I'll be honest, I had no idea who David Crowder was when I stumbled across his "ho-down" version of the Hank Williams classic "I Saw the Light" fused with "I'll Fly Away." You simply will not be able to keep yourself from dancing like a fool!
Yes, There is a Promo!
This week, there's an epic fantasy (with Romance) promo that's going on, and you won't want to miss it. Why? Because it offers goblins, astrology, assassins, knights, and ancient curses! No light themes, though.
| Fall into a new world, right here! |
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Follow your light this week, my friends,
Victoria
Victoria Dougherty
Writer, Book Coach, Unapologetic Fantasist
Victoria Dougherty writes Cold War historical thrillers, historical fantasy, and personal essays. She's also a book coach, blogger, podcaster, and avid celebrant of the creative life!
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