Photo by Gee Lee/Freeimages.com I've often wondered what it would be like to jump head first from the railing of a bridge over a deep gorge. I can imagine my heart quickening and my body trembling as that elastic rope harness is attached to my ankle. I can even imagine climbing onto that railing. But that's where my imagination stops cold! Why? Because I know I would die, that's why! Thank heavens, however, that I have another way of feeling that jump, and I call it bungee writing.
Bungee writing has numerous facets and its impact on the body is just as exhilarating. It takes in all aspects of writing from idea to submission. It includes all the ups and downs, or plunges and bounce backs, of bungee jumping and even some of the hazards. It can make the heart race, the breaths quicken, and the body tremble. There is the constant fear of revision and rejection. One day the writing is going well and the next day it's not. Writing is in constant motion and emotion. Some people call the writing life a roller coaster, but that doesn't quite cut it for me. I like roller coasters. They make me laugh. I love writing, though. It invigorates and excites. It allows me to tie that elastic rope around my ankle and dive off that bridge. I can feel the force of air rush against my face and my body tense as the rocks careen closer by the minute. The difference, though, is that I can choose to hit the rocks, dive through them into a different world, or change into a hawk and fly away. My only tether is my imagination.
Bungee writing allows me to journey to places I have never been. All I have to do is stand over the precipice and take a leap of faith. I can plunge into a new story for as long as I want or until the bungee cord bounces me back to reality. The bounce back of writing is the revision, the editors, the submission to agents. But that is only temporary because there is always another plunge waiting.
Bungee writing has numerous facets and its impact on the body is just as exhilarating. It takes in all aspects of writing from idea to submission. It includes all the ups and downs, or plunges and bounce backs, of bungee jumping and even some of the hazards. It can make the heart race, the breaths quicken, and the body tremble. There is the constant fear of revision and rejection. One day the writing is going well and the next day it's not. Writing is in constant motion and emotion. Some people call the writing life a roller coaster, but that doesn't quite cut it for me. I like roller coasters. They make me laugh. I love writing, though. It invigorates and excites. It allows me to tie that elastic rope around my ankle and dive off that bridge. I can feel the force of air rush against my face and my body tense as the rocks careen closer by the minute. The difference, though, is that I can choose to hit the rocks, dive through them into a different world, or change into a hawk and fly away. My only tether is my imagination.
Bungee writing allows me to journey to places I have never been. All I have to do is stand over the precipice and take a leap of faith. I can plunge into a new story for as long as I want or until the bungee cord bounces me back to reality. The bounce back of writing is the revision, the editors, the submission to agents. But that is only temporary because there is always another plunge waiting.
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