[GC Insider] Finding Joy

The end of month summary where I share the good, the bad and the ugly of my own creative process

Oct 31, 2025

This month I’ve done a lot of work on the second book in my Tales of the Countess series. I’m working on a third draft having picked up a second draft from four years ago which had a plot issue just after the halfway point.

I started the process towards the end of last month and was flying through the earlier chapters. Now I’m in that knotty middle section that doesn’t quite work.

After a busy time of lovely social stuff, last week I was able to clear my schedule and dive into this tricky section. Many years ago, I had plotted the story using a method by John Truby which is set out in his book The Anatomy of Story. Since learning that method, I’ve also gone through training with the Pages & Platform team which they call Story Path.

In order to try and figure out what could be wrong I applied the Story Path methods to the book. This didn’t yield anything significant so the next step was pure grunt work. I listed every scene, by chapter, from the second half of the book on an Excel spreadsheet. It was 61 lines long.

Then I printed that out, took myself to a coffee shop, and went through it. There are some crucial scenes which I suspected had come too early. By reading through the list and then going into some deep thought and journalling, I scribbled out a new handwritten plan on my printout. I call this process going into a séance with my story!

I frequently journal with my main character. At the end of the session, I asked her what she thought. Her reply was, “Sounds good, give it a go and see.”

So that’s what I’m doing. Rather than type up my findings, I’ve just scanned all the scribbles in case I lose the printout, and now this is my new blue print.

I love working on this book. I find it energising. Even if I only have a few minutes to spare, I love making tiny steps of progress.

I’ve called this newsletter “finding joy”. Of late, I’ve been doing lots of joyful activities, mainly singing. I’m loving the Rock Choir rehearsals and have signed up to some Christmas gigs. This means I now need to learn the arrangements for five Christmas songs and carols. My biggest challenge is always learning the lyrics as song lyrics don’t naturally stick in my mind. For choir performances you have to do everything from memory including a few dance moves.

I’ve got the words and harmony for Carol of the Bells sussed so it’s on to the next one which is a mash up of The First Nowell and Silent Night. The annoying thing about this is that I do know most of the words but because I’m a lower alto, I need to learn a harmony part.

Earlier this term we learnt September by Earth Wind and Fire. I’ve now mastered the lyrics and the complicated harmonies and can frequently be found grooving around my kitchen to it while cooking or doing the washing up!

This coming weekend, rehearsals start in another choir for a performance of Handel’s Messiah. I did this last year. Even though I am a Buddhist, I was deeply moved by the musical experience. The choir only meets every year in November to prepare for the performance on Advent weekend. I’ve been looking forward to it since January and can’t wait to get started on it again this Sunday.

In the past couple of months, I have prioritised joyful activities over tasks I could or “should” be doing. I have come to realise that this is my survival technique as I continue to cope with the reality of my husband’s brain injury.

His physical condition, capabilities and effects from the injury have been stable for over a year. He is unlikely to get any better. This is how he is.

It is very hard to continually witness the new him and come to terms with what the injury has done to our marriage. It has been a continual process of emotional divorce and trying to accept the new reality. I’m also still dealing with fighting for the funding of his care and managing his other finances. It feels like an endless battle.

In recent visits he has looked more peaceful. My best friend noticed this when she looked at the photos I took of his 60^th birthday, which was earlier this month. I think he has reached a level of acceptance and has perhaps started to make peace with his new life. This is all speculation as his speech is mangled. When he talks about stuff, it is difficult to make out the topic let alone the details of what he is saying.

I am not at peace. I feel like I’m trapped in a never-ending nightmare which I have to continually endure. Maybe there will be a time when I too will find that peace, but right now it’s an emotional assault course. There is always another hurdle to overcome.

Because I have been focussing so much on my novel, and having fun, I’ve put less energy into Gentle Creative this month. It’s interesting that the engagement on my articles has gone down. I’m not worried about this. Sometimes your writing will land well and other times it won’t.

I’m telling you this because I’m curious about it and also because, if you write a newsletter and an article drops into the ether with barely a ripple of anybody noticing it, don’t worry – you’re not alone. It happens. I think it is part of the creative cycle. The main thing is to keep writing what’s in your heart.

Finally, there has been some good news with my mother. She had an accident back in June and broke two vertebrae in her neck. Since then, she’s had to wear a very restrictive neck collar. This week, she had a consultation at the hospital. They took x-rays and thankfully, the bones have healed and the fractures are no longer visible. She can now gradually wean herself off the collar (the neck muscles have to get used to working again) and within a few weeks she’ll be able to resume driving and being independent again. I’m really pleased for her. She has a number of challenging health problems but I think it is magnificent that aged 84, her body can still heal itself.

What’s been your victory this month?

Plodding gently

Cali x