After years of doing this writing thing I am aware that I write in cycles. I typically write in the fall, which happens to be my favorite time of year. If planning is done, the note taking starts around August in preparation for November's National Novel Writing Month. When November 1st hits, the rest of the world falls away and I am submerged in the work my characters place before me. This usually means long nights pounding away at the keys and weekend filled with whispers of truths that I translate to the page.
Because my gift is tied to my mental health the most difficult part of the process is maintaining my sanity. I am but the scribe, a title I have both accepted and embraced. I channel my characters allowing them to spin their tales as they see fit. This can lead to mental breaks where transitions out of the process and back to the real world becomes both mentally and physically exhausting. But I know that my sanity rests in the hands of my characters and they too have witnessed the loss with I am now working from an optimal place. And so I think we have all come to an understanding of the needs of the scribe with the desires of the voices and the balance necessary for all of us to thrive.
