Mercury’s Advice for Wayward Novelists
…Or at least, um…one in particular 🙄
I’ve lost track of how many weeks it’s been since I did any actual writing on this novel in terms of moving past Chapter 20. I know I’ve been busy with other aspects of this novel-writing process that’ll help me get there. But over the past couple of months, I felt like every time I took a step forward, it was followed by a few giant leaps backward. Then I remembered that Mercury was doing its retrograde thing throughout that whole period.
What’s that got to do with my novel journey? Well, if there’s any truth to its impact on us mere Earthlings, a lot. If not, well, I guess nuthin’!
Perhaps I ought to first explain what it means if Mercury is retrograde (“Rx”).
During its Rx period, if you could see this little planet travelling through space it would appear to be going backward. For a couple of weeks before that, it would look like it’s slowing down (the pre-retrograde “shadow” period). Then it would appear to stop (“station retrograde”) and go backward for a few weeks. Then stop again (“station direct”), and slowly begin moving forward (post-retrograde shadow) until it’s back up to speed.
Of course, it isn’t actually doing any of that, but as it orbits the Sun, its position in relation to Earth would make it look that way. It’s like when you’re in a car and going the same speed as the one beside you. When that car slows, it looks like it’s going backward while you’re moving forward.
This entire Rx process takes about 2 months and it happens three times a year (occasionally four). So we end up with about 6 months of the year potentially being impacted by Mercury. The trickiest parts are the actual retrograde period, plus a handful of days on either side of it. The further away we get from those 3–1/2 (ish) weeks, the less of an impact we feel.
Mercury governs technology, commerce, communication, and travel. Because these are essential to our daily lives, disruptions in these areas tend to be noticeable. These aspects of life can be adversely impacted during the retrograde and shadow periods, so you might see more computer glitches, travel delays, or you and your luggage are separated.
Or your car might be more likely to break down, you might have more arguments or misunderstandings with a spouse or a boss, or you feel like you’re having to re-do an awful lot of things, big and small.
It’s not a good time to do repairs, sign contracts (or even make verbal agreements), or make any large purchases. You might regret those decisions later, or in the case of purchases, the item turns out to be a lemon. It’s not a great time to launch or begin anything new.
Essentially, the Rx period can cause a sense of “stuck energy”. You might feel like you just can’t make any progress. It’s a bit like trying to run through quicksand.
And Here’s the Good News!
Mercury Rx brings fantastic gifts!! 🎁 Yay! When this busy little planet slows down, it’s an excellent reminder for us to slow down, too. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t need that little nudge now and then, do you?
And while Mercury is going backward, it’s urging us to go back, too, to revise, take another look. Double, triple-check your facts, your dates, your needs. We can prevent or minimise most of the issues created by the retrograde energy by pausing, rethinking, and reviewing before acting.
Take your time. Investigate. Plan and prepare, but don’t execute. Much of what you do might end up needing to be re-done, so where possible, don’t commit to anything.
Of course, life does go on and business has to happen and sometimes, we have no choice but to sign a new lease, get the car repaired, or fly to a friend’s wedding. And it doesn’t always mean there will be a problem. It’s just that it can be more likely for things to go awry. Hold off on that challenging conversation if you can. Don’t quit your job in a huff. Be extra sure you’ve got your passport and boarding pass (and keep them safe), and make sure you leave early in case of traffic delays.
What’s this got to do with my novel journey?
Well, if you’ve been here with me from the start of these reports 5 weeks ago, you’ll have seen this energy playing out.
When I began these weekly updates, I was at around 43,000 words. Since then, every time I was ready to write again, something stopped me. It was a lot of, “Right, here we go! I’m ready to roll and — oh, wait! Maybe not!” And after trying for more forward movement, oops, I had to back up again.
It started when I faced the fact that thanks to my Complex-PTSD brain, my former “pantsing 10,000 words a day” Self needed some serious plotting help. I was done with moving forward at the speed of a snail on horse tranquilisers. 🐌 🤦🏻♀️ Daunted or not, it was time to haul out Plottr (the fabulous plotting software I’d got 2 years earlier) and figure out the basics.
It took a while to learn but wow, it was actually fun! And so helpful! Then I had to go back to the drawing board and use it to plot the rest of the story.
Okay. Did that. Let’s go again. Oh, wait. I’ve still gotta add that Canadian flavour — an attempt to stand out in a rather full genre. So Round 2 with “back to the drawing board.” I went back and made those changes.
Good! Ready to roll! But wait (there’s more!). While setting up the characters’ backstories so I could move forward in the novel, I was contemplating having some of the stories down the road be about some older folks in this small town I’m creating. But… would that make regular readers hate me? Two experts in the biz said YES!! DON’T DO IT!
So as I reported last week, I was making the switch to “later in life” romance — still with the small town backdrop and all it entails for the many books I intend to write about its residents.
Sigh. Round 3 at that dang drawing board to re-write — again — this time with Noah and Ivy, our hero and heroine, being in their 40s. And Round 4 at the drawing board has also meant having to rewrite backstories for the supporting cast. Two of them, in particular, needed a fair bit of extra backstory, as they’ll connect in this story and will star in the next book.
I swear. If I have to go for Round 5, I might just throw out this story and start from scratch!!!!
Actually, no. I’m not gonna do that; I promise! I love these characters and I can’t wait to share their story! I hope you’ll fall in love with them, too.
Thank You, Merc Rx!
I’d begun to feel like I’m never going to get moving on this story again because if it wasn’t one thing, it was another being dropped in my path and slowing me down. I’m so eager to get back to writing this series, I admit to some moments of frustration. I’ve been doing a lot of deep breathing and letting go of thoughts that aren’t helpful. Ommm. 🧘🏻♀️
So Rounds 1 through 4 made complete sense with the retrograde during those weeks. Mercury delighted in repeatedly sending me back to re-evaluate at every one of those points along the way. It had a lot to say:
Hard going with your C-PTSD brain? Here you go, silly girl, use your Plottr software! … You’re welcome!
What’s that you say? Small town romance genre has more supply than demand? Set the story in southern Alberta where you live! It’ll help you stand out!
Uh-oh, you wanna do what with your stories? Throw in older folks in a romance genre that only wants late 20s or 30s? NO NO NO NO NO!!! DON’T DO IT!! SAVE YOURSELF!! AND YOUR BOOKS!!!!! Step. Away. From. The. Old Folks!
And now look! You listened and you’ve arrived at your destination! “Later in life romance!” Yay! Okay, NOW I’m moving forward again, and you can get going again, too. A little tweak here and a re-write there, and you’re on your way!
Awww. Thanks, Mercury! ☿️ (👈 Astrology symbol for this cute little planet)
Messages can come to us from many sources. Perhaps Mercury had nothing to do with any of this. But by allowing myself to consider its possible influence, it gave me a broader view of the situation and what could be helpful. I contemplated Merc’s Rx themes and realised that if I pushed ahead in the name of “progress” rather than re-doing aspects of the manuscript, I’d be doing myself and my series a disservice.
In fact, I could derail my success before I even got out of the gate.
Merc Rx reminded me of the importance of slowing down, taking my time, and focusing on making sure I address any potential issues that could adversely affect my success. It helped me to see these weeks of reviewing, rethinking and revising as essential steps to getting me where I need to be.
As with many aspects of life, good writing requires an alignment of heart, mind and soul. Sure, we can string together a bunch of words, but if the goal is to for them to make readers feel something, or to tell a good story, it is incumbent upon us to do our best to use our words effectively.
It’s far more important to write well and to tell your story to the best of your ability — fiction or non-fiction — than to write quickly.
So I used to be the 10,000-word-a-day hare and could write fiction chapters or non-fiction posts quickly and powerfully. Now? I’m the tortoise… content to take my time, and extra glad for the encouragement, support and reminder from Mercury that sometimes, that’s exactly the right attitude to take.
I might be that speedy hare again someday. And I might not. But I’m grateful for the gifts that Mercury showed me about it not just being okay to slow down, rethink, and review. Sometimes that’s exactly what’s required.
What I Did This Week:
Researched required beats for Later in Life Romance
Did some reading in this category. Wasted several hours on one incredibly boring story! It was all “telling” and virtually no “showing,” plus it was loaded with an unbearable amount of pointless detail. 🥱
Continued revising and creating backstories for the cast
Made a start on revising the story to suit the genre switch.
Next Week’s Mission:
Finish relevant backstories
Finish revising book to include genre switch (oh, boy. This one is scary. 👹 But I’m gonna do it!). It is a major challenge to try to rework a story that’s already in progress. 🫣
Thanks so much for following along on this wild, wonderful journey toward my career as a novelist! If you’d like to be part of the adventure, I’d love to have you join me on Patreon, where you’ll get exclusive content!