For me, last month was a big one — full of family, travel, and a major life decision.
Goodbye home equity. Hello sailboat.
I've been considering the next life chapter for a while now.
Two years ago, Colin and I were living on a small sailboat, and the frugal lifestyle and distraction-free environment allowed me great freedom to write. Like a cabin in the woods — without the woods.
After Covid interrupted our cruising plans, we've been jonesing to get back to life afloat. But since we had a do-over, we chose to make the most of it.
We decided to go all-in and sell the house in order to buy a slightly bigger boat — one bulletproof enough to go anywhere, but comfortable enough to be our long-term home. It's counter-intuitive, but living on a boat costs a small fraction of living on land, so the freedom we gain is financial as well as geographical.
After a lot of research (and a wine-filled trip to France), last month we put down a deposit on a Garcia 45.
She won't be ready for three years, but we're playing the long game. I honestly don't know what we'll do in the interim, but for now I'm happy to have a pin in 2025 to move into our new 'cabin.' ❤️❤️❤️
The new novel takes (slow) shape
It turns out that my attempt to write quality fiction while on the road for 14 days with rusty French and 9-hours of jet lag was not a smashing success. Ha. We live and learn and grow.
The good news is I came home refreshed, dove into research with both feet, and am super jazzed about the story and the characters characters, so I know the pages are ready to flow. As a hint to where it's headed, now that my sailing future is settled, I can plow all my energy into sailing's past, and bring a couple historic characters back to life. :)
Reading Recommendations
While you're waiting on my next book, may I point you toward another?
After tearing through Janet Fitch's epic The Revolution of Marina M in June, I was compelled to read the second half in July: Chimes of a Lost Cathedral, which was just as good and just as long. Reading them back to back felt a bit like binging Dostoevsky, but I can heartily recommend the 2-book series.
And since I'm on a Janet Fitch kick, I will share some of my favorite writing advice ever that came from her at a Squaw Valley Writers Conference years ago. I'm paraphrasing from memory, but talking about scene setting, she said a lot of writers start with passive description.
"She opened the door. Her old tattered couch sat under the dusty window next to a small end table holding a ceramic blue bowl."
It's not a bad way to begin, and often we need to write that first draft for ourselves in order to see the room clearly. But when we make the shift from writing to editing, phrasing like this asks the reader's imagination to do a lot of set-up work. Compare that to a more active version.
"She opened the door, threw her keys in the bowl, and collapsed on the tattered couch."
Here, the reader doesn't feel like they're creating the room. The room creates itself. The bowl exists by virtue of keys being thrown into it. The couch exists because she's collapsed on it. We're in the scene immediately.
I've used that tip on nearly every page I've written since. If you find it at least a fraction as helpful as I did, you have Janet Fitch to thank. :)
Fair winds,
Cheyenne
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