Taking Chances...My Novel Freshman Experience, Part 16

I got  the last bit of my Hobbit Hole textured. The rocky cliff face, the fallen tree, and that bit of green is on lone tree clinging to the side of the cliff. I underglazed it.

All right, I'm asking everyone to keep my little Hobbit Hole/Book in their thoughts.  I'm so hoping nothing pops off when it's fired.  

As I finished this part of the project, I realized I made a ton of extra work for myself.  I could have picked a plain house.  One that was a few straight walls and maybe a tower.  But I chose this one.  There were a lot of joints, a lot of textures. I have a lot of hours in it.  And because of the technical aspects of it, I've got a higher than just-a-house chance of something going wrong when it's fired.  Maybe I didn't get all the air bubbles out and something's going to pop.  Maybe I didn't slip and score it well enough and a joints going to come undone.  I'm anxious.

I wondered if I should have gone for something simpler. 

And I almost immediately answered myself, no.  No I shouldn't have gone with the easy road.  Because even if my Hobbit Hole does pop something or crack, I learned a lot.  I've learned what NOT to do next time.  

Plus, it tells the story I was aching to tell.  It tells of a girl who grew up in books...who grew up in Middle Earth.  Even if my abilities and technical knowledge didn't quite keep up with my imagination, my dwelling tells that story.  

It's like that with my writing.  I've pushed myself in books and tried things. Sometimes they work out better than I'd hoped, sometimes I toss out an idea.  But all of them have forced my writing to grow.  I hope if you pick up an early book you read it and smile and think, this is nice.  But on the heels of that, you pick up something more recent, you think, wow...or at least, this is better!  LOL  When I started writing, I read some of one of my favorite author's early work...she had definitely grown.  I've held on to that!

I guess I'd rather stretch my wings and try for the heights, than plod along the safe route.

And yet another thing ceramics has taught—well, no, I already knew that from writing, so maybe reminded me?—that it's better to try and fail than to take avoid the risk of failure and stick to the beaten path.

Holly

PS If you missed any of my Novel Freshman Experience videos, here they are...Part Fifteen, Part Fourteen, Part Thirteen, Part Twelve, Part Eleven, Part Ten, Part Nine, Part Eight, Part Seven, Part Six, Part Five, Part Four, Part Three, Part Two, Part One

PPS Check out my PTA Moms video, then check out the series at Amazon!