Vignette d'Automne

My mind is elsewhere, today. The truth is, this out of season heatwave has left me listless, and oh so tired, to a point where my mind cannot multitask as per usual. I find myself having trouble concentrating on two sets of ideas at the same time.

There's a thing about my creative process, you know, where I know I cannot force it. So these last weeks I have been in a state of mind where I can't even stand to stare at a blank screen with the cursor blinking away, waiting for me to start writing, the damn novel all inside my head in images that are hard to translate into words. And so I stare at the blank screen and do not write.

Because that's how it works with me, and once those images have found a way of turning themselves into words, they will press me to be written and I will sit down and shut my mind to everything else, and write away. I will enter a world where there's magic, and dragons, and warriors and vikings, and I will lose myself there. And it's alright, really. It's not as if I have a deadline. I will write this novel at my own pace, actually, at its own pace.

The process is really simple, actually, and I already recognize the signs that tell me a creative burst is about to happen. My sense of dread for re-reading what I've written starts disappearing, and I get this want, this need, to read the previous chapters as if for the first time, coming to the point where I truly amaze myself and pat myself on the back, as I find excerpts of truly talented writing amongst the common ground phrases that constitute most of my narrative. I allow myself that indulgence and that sense of self pride, and tell myself "Hey, you're not that bad, you're actually pretty good." And once the re-reading is done, my fingertips start itching, as new chapters have formed into words in my mind, words that need to be put to paper. And that's when I give in to it, and let myself get lost in a creative bout that can last for months, sometimes.

So now I am in the middle of that, doing the once painful re-reading with a sense of wonder and amazement at how good some parts are, fingers itching to start writing again, ideas forming in the back of my mind, chapters unfolding within me. Usually, I can afford to get part of my mind focused on this, on my novel, on those chapters, and relocate other parts of my mind to daily tasks, and daily thoughts, and blogging, and photographing, and styling, and editing. But not under this heatwave. It has been too bad, and my mind feels numb, only able to focus on one thought at a time. 

So that is why I am posting these images of a Fall vignette, done on a sunny early October aftenoon, when the temps where cooler, and the light was colder, and my head could focus on creating beauty with images, on creating warmth within a household. Today I cannot get my mind around this, as all I want to do is go back to that second volume on my novel and finish re-reading and editing it, so I can go back to that world and pour down a few more adventures, a few more battles, a few more wonders. And then the weather might just go back to being Fall again, and my body and my head will not feel so tired with the heat, and I can go back to functioning as a normal human being again...

This simple vignette recuperates my belief that simple things can add a touch of warmth and personality to a home. Sometimes all we need to do, to create an inviting scene, a cozy feel, is shop around our home and bring out that satiny throw with the colours of Autumn, get a few wicker baskets filled with dry leaves and pine cones and acorns, recycle that old fruit crate that happens to be quite charming, bring out a couple of candles, and look for the light that will enhance it all... no need to go spending loads of money on stuff, as a home is actually made by our touch, by pouring our love and our warmth and ourselves into it...