‘Resilience can go an awful long way’ – Eddie the Eagle

Monday 26th February 2024, edited two flash fiction pieces, and two opening chapters, 1 new rejection, 0 new agent queries, 4 competitions entered, returned to The Islands of Abandonment, finished A Swim in a Pond in the Rain and Wild Houses, read The Last List of Mabel Beaumont by Laura Pearson and Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley on holiday and made 3 new book purchases, 2 coffees, 1 lemon and ginger tea, and no snacks (post-holiday abstinence)

A week off work and a week off writing – this was not what I had planned for half-term. Usually, even on a family break, I manage to jot down ideas in my notebook. Airports make great places to people watch and record observations but on my recent trip to Norway I didn’t even remove my notebook from my bag.

We witnessed a skier fall from a chair lift (he was okay albeit winded and a little shocked), and a young girl being dragged through the exit zone by the T-bar lift which caught a strap on her ski jacket (also okay but probably traumatised). Both were terrifying, but I didn’t record either event. Each evening, as we arrived home, staying awake became my main objective and if I could manage a chapter of my book that was a bonus.

This fatigue, most likely a result of three longer than average half-terms, some Norwegian fresh air and trying to keep up with a fourteen-year-old who felt it perfectly acceptable to take the chair lift to the mountain peak and then ski, non-stop, slope to slope, off piste and back again, all the way to the bottom, without stopping. The thought of my Friday at home reminded me I would have time to write later in the week but after unpacking, doing five loads of washing and popping out to do a spot of food shopping (and in my few spare moments finishing my holiday read), I did not manage to motivate myself to write, despite this being my only dedicated ‘writing day’ of the half-term.

I didn’t despair at my lack of productivity but instead I reminded myself that when I have a ‘blank page’ period, it takes me longer to swing back into productivity. By Saturday afternoon, I had completed a couple of editing jobs on some flash fiction and updated my list of impending competition deadlines. By Sunday morning, 8.30am, I was sipping coffee in front of my laptop and ready to work. By Sunday lunchtime, I had entered the four competitions on my list.

Daily practice is key to maintaining momentum on any project. Online writerly advice suggests as much but life, low self-esteem and self-criticism can scupper the most hearty attempts to stay on track. Visiting a ski jump in Lillehammer this week reminded me of Eddie the Eagle and his momentous Olympic achievements. Googling him to share this British phenomenon with my fourteen-year-old skier, I was reminded of his commitment in the face of failure. It impressed on me the importance of continuing despite the rejection I had received whilst checking my emails on the slopes. Eddie’s words, ‘Resilience can go an awful long way’ must resonate with every emerging writer.

Before leaving for Norway, I had prepped a to-do-list and this helped kickstart my mojo on Saturday afternoon – small steps that gave me a sense of accomplishment as I ticked them off. By the end of the week March will have arrived and reader, as you know, I often stop and ponder my next steps on this journey to publication and the start of a new month is no exception. This week a beta-reader advised, after reviewing my retelling of The Tempest, that this story may be time sensitive – perhaps too ephemeral for the slow pace of traditional publishing. When it can take so long to find an agent (which is only the tip of the publication iceberg), how do you hit the zeitgeist? And who would want a novella from a debut author? As always the writing feels like the easy part: the chair lift of the publication process. The next step, the road to publication, is like skiing down hill – a little out of control and full of hazards.

Now I am back on track, daily writing, I will continue to channel my inner ‘Eddie the Eagle’ and refuse to give up. I am also feeling relieved that I chose to challenge myself to write novels and not complete Olympic ski jumps!

Kate

P.S When I wrote this I had no idea that Eddie the Eagle was back on TV competing in Dancing on Ice!