by Jane M. Choate
In Fact or Fiction: The Other Side of the Pandemic, we were introduced to author, Jane M. Choate and her 3-part series. This article will take a look at what Jane has added.
More family
I’m spending more time with my family, especially my grandchildren. I’m taking more trips, like a recent one to Utah to see a new great-grandbaby. (Yes, I have a great-grandbaby, and she is beautiful.)
Spending more time with family and friends has allowed me to watch the interactions between individuals and then to use that, when appropriate, in my writing. Our family is messy. The relationships are messy. And isn’t that what life is about? Messy relationships that somehow stick. Our family sticks together, no matter our messiness, no matter what goes on between us. We may fight, but let someone attack any one of us and we come together, ready to take on any and all who would divide us. Since I write mainly romantic suspense, the hero and heroine have a “messy” relationship. Things don’t come easily to either of them. They argue; they fight. More importantly, they fight those who would hurt the other.
more purging
I’m spending more time purging, letting go of what I don’t need and don’t want. Letting go or purging possessions that no longer work for the life I want to have has freed not only space in my house but space in my brain as well. Both are important.
Too many things create clutter. After forty-six years in the same house, my husband and I have enough clutter to last several lifetimes. Getting rid of some of it (I’m even letting go of some books) allows me to see white spaces. We all know that white space is important in the pages of a book. We gravitate toward that because we know that white space means dialogue. In a home, white space means freedom from clutter. White space in the brain is vital as it creates a blank page for my thoughts to take shape.
More joy
I’m spending more time finding joy in the small things. Practicing finding joy in small things keeps my “glass half full.” In order to write, I need to recognize unexpected moments of happiness, of laughter, of love.
This is largely related to spending time with grandchildren. Who can resist a hug from a four-year-old blue-eyed blonde granddaughter who calls me “Meemaw?” These little scraps of joy remind me that the world is full of things to write about.
more fun
I’m spending more time having fun, like dying my hair blue. Spending more time in having fun and doing silly things, like dyeing my hair and eyebrows blue, has awakened that part of me that used to do such things on a regular basis. With that, I was able to add bits of humor in my last book, which garnered favorable response.
saying “no” more often
I’m saying “no” to requests upon my time and energy more often. Saying no to unreasonable requests upon my time and energy has freed up both.
In our service organization, we practice what we call a ministering program. It’s a good thing to be able to help others, and I try to do what I can. However, when my husband and I were assigned to one lady who every week had more and more things for us to do, requested more and more things which required ever-increasing physical and emotional strength than we had to give, we finally asked to be released from that particular assignment. Though she was a nice enough woman, she had no sense of boundaries. She took and took, leaving us with little left over for ourselves or anyone else. Post-pandemic, I have found more courage to speak up and say what’s working for me and, also, to say what’s not working. Reclaiming that energy and time gave me the same to devote to my family and my writing. For a while, I felt selfish in saying “no,” but then I realized it wasn’t selfish but practical to take care of myself.
What are you doing more of?
Find out what Jane’s NOT doing in the last article in this series. You won’t want to miss it.
Jane M. Choate dreamed of writing since she was a little girl and entertained her friends with made-up stories about them. She postponed her dream of writing to get married and have children. On one particularly hard day when it seemed all she had done was to clean toilets (she had two small boys at the time), she wrote a short story and sent it in to a magazine on a whim. To her surprise and delight, it was accepted.
Jane now writes for Love Inspired Suspense where she combines romance, danger, and faith. Jane is the mother of five children, grandmother to ten grandchildren, and great-grandmother to one adorable baby girl. When she is not writing, she can be found trying to keep up with her grandchildren. (The operative word there is “trying.”)
You won’t want to miss Jane’s latest release–Rocky Mountain Vendetta–A must read that spent 2 weeks on the Publishers Weekly Bestseller List!