Thursday, October 27, 2011

Center Of Gravity


When a child is growing, their center of gravity changes. Truly! When you're one height and one weight and then change in a matter of days/months, as little ones do, then the center of gravity changes. It takes awhile to get used to a new center of gravity. The body has to learn to walk differently. To bend lower. To squeeze through. That’s probably why toddlers stumble a lot. Clumsy kids are probably not clumsy, just dealing with a new center of gravity.

When I hurt myself or have a debilitating illness, my center of gravity changes because I do things differently to compensate. I KNOW I had a different center of gravity when I was pregnant!

So – does this mean that I, as an author, have a center of gravity, too? Perhaps there is an emotional center of gravity. Perhaps there is a spiritual center of gravity. When I struggle with a story I’m working on? When the character seems to have twisted herself into something totally NOT what I’d thought? Are these the results of center of gravity changes?

I think I’ll accept this and not be so hard on myself when I’m struggling. When the Muse seems to have flown to New Zealand for the year!

Life is challenging.

2 comments:

  1. I'm liking this perspective. I've pulled out one of my first contemporary manuscript to finish and prepare for submission, and my writing has changed a lot. It isn't entirely comfortable shifting from the old to the new, but I think it's work the effort.

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