Laboring

I have reached the point of discomfort and distraction, both in this pregnancy and in this work-in-progress. Unfortunately for me, only one of these situations will resolve itself without much effort on my part.

Giving birth is the greatest act of letting go. After nearly a year of having this person inside you, becoming very much so a part of who you are (to the outside world, the woman at the check-out lane, the co-workers who pepper you with comments about how cute your belly is, or less the less cute remarks I won't publish here) - you're finally left with no option but to move on.

Giving birth means letting go of this identity, and it's the handing over the reins of control you've had (or thought you had) over this life you were supporting. It's allowing your body to do whatever it needs to do, relinquishing all reason and opinion and modesty, even if only for the hour(s) of labor.

It's going to happen, there is no way around it. You can't stay pregnant forever.

However, novel writing is not so. Novel writing happens when you make it happen. And lately, as I've been distracted with short stories here or there, I've found myself working more slowly than I need to be, especially if I intend to have a first draft completed by August.
I keep telling myself that there will be more time, after the baby. Later, when I'm able to sit for long periods of time, comfortably. When I'm out of work for a while - then, yes, then I'll be able to focus. Never mind that I'll be sleep deprived and in a house of three children under the age of five.

Right.

I wish there was some sort of epidural for writing. Something to make you care less, to go with the flow and trust that you know what you're doing - something to get you past the page that you can't seem to stop writing and rewriting.

I also wish that there was some way to magically go from giving birth to being back in pre-pregnancy shape. But that's a whole other blog post waiting to happen.

(In other news, I've posted a link to another recent review for The Simplest of Acts, over in the sidebar. Sheri from Bookopolis had some great things to say.)