The Writing Sabbatical
In many ways, this is the trip of my dreams. Once upon a time, I told myself that I would save money, find a little haven far away, sit down to write, and write away.
Right now, it’s noon in Madrid, and I am doing just that.
It’s been two weeks since I arrived here, and as with most things in life, I learned that the trip of my dreams was never going to be that simple. More than the inevitable jet lag, the urge to explore every minute, and the temptation to just siesta all day, finding your rhythm in a new city takes time. Not to mention, understanding what you’re writing about takes time.
So let me just put this out there: I’m working on a novel.
AHHHHHHHH. I’m working on a novel! There! I said it!
But up until three days ago, I hadn’t decided which manuscript to pour my efforts (and writing sabbatical) into. I had three concepts in mind — a self-help non-fiction book, a contemporary fiction novel, and a historical fiction saga. I first attempted to continue my non-fiction manuscript, but writing it gave me no joy. It involved a lot of digging up my past and retracing my steps. I realized that I wasn’t ready for any of that, and it hindered me from taking in what was right in front of me. That realization took days, unfortunately.
And then there was the historical fiction saga that gave me absolute goosebumps when I thought of it, but when it came down to the research, I realized I wasn’t fully equipped to take the project on, nor was my sabbatical long enough for me to give it justice. I went on a historical tour, I spent hours watching documentaries, and I even visited museums. It took me weeks of trying, only to discover that this idea is something I need to park gently. My hope is that one day I get to do this for a living, and all the research in the world can be done for this book. One day, but not today.
Finally, we have my contemporary fiction novel. It’s a concept I came up with in 2018 when I was working in Madrid as an auxiliar de conversacion. At first, I shoved it aside because I didn’t think it was interesting enough. I was avoiding it completely until I pulled up my Notion outline and realized that there was a lot of potential. What helped me ultimately was to write down questions I had for myself, as if I were an editor or a literary agent examining my premise. Its potential was staring me in the face and all I had to do was to start writing. And when I did, a couple of days ago, I learned that this was it.
So right now, I have two post-its on my window, my Forest app open on my phone, and a blog that is once again fully functional. Because what’s an author without a website, right?
I am going to use the rest of my time here to collect the information I can, and then write away right away.
If you got this far… wow, thank you for reading. I hope you can read my book, too. :)
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