The Third Nanny.
Once I finished the bulk of the work for The Reckoning so it would be ready for a December launch, I found myself at a bit of a loss. I wasn’t sure what my next project would be.
I had a couple of ideas but they didn’t feel ready yet. For me at least, once I get an idea for a novel, I need to let it simmer for a bit, take some time to live in the story’s world, get a feel for the characters and their motivations and what the driving force of the book will be.
Sometimes that simmer period lasts only a day or two, like with The Summoning and The Reckoning. Those books came together really quickly for me.
But sometimes books need to simmer for weeks or months or even years before they’re ready to be birthed.
So I took a break. I worked on my short story for the Make Them Pay! thriller anthology, plus I also went to Mexico for a vacation.
It was while I was in Mexico that the idea for The Third Nanny just dropped in.
Like with The Summoning and The Reckoning, it happened when I was away from the computer, away from the phone and away from social media and all the other online distractions.
It was completely effortless. One night the story came to me, and before I knew it I had it fleshed out enough I was able to begin writing when I returned home.
The whole experience reminded me (again) that as amazing as technology is and how much good it’s done for us overall, there’s also a dark side: it’s hurting our ability to be creative and to think deeply.
Shortened attention spans, constant distractions, constant multitasking, constantly being ON is wreaking havoc on our ability to sit and think and create. Our brains weren’t designed for all this stimulation, we need time away to rest and enjoy real life.
Since then, I’m making more and more of a commitment to get away from the computer and the phone, to sit in silence, to be outside, to spend time with friends. I’m by no means perfect at it, the siren call of the online world is definitely seductive.
But, I feel like I owe it to myself and my creativity to make the time.
Every story has its own story. The behind-the-scenes story of how it got written. This is the story of The Third Nanny Click To TweetCheck out The Third Nanny right here.
