And the Universe Says Yes! Write That Right Now.

Since the publication of my memoir last fall, I’ve been reunited with my first love—fiction—and it feels so…..good. Mostly.

It also feels daunting and overwhelming and fills me with uncertainty and doubt.

But I believe ideas have their own timeline, and that, when we pay attention, we see tiny sprouts of magic when the time comes to begin the novel, or return to the memoir, or noodle over a poem.

One way I know it’s time to act on a slow-germinating idea is that people will start asking, “What are you working on? A novel? What’s it about?” I’ll hear myself talk about it, incoherently at first, but with increasing clarity and excitement.

I imagine it’s my Muse finally being allowed to speak, while under her breath she mutters to me, “Now get busy.”

So, in case you’re wondering, here’s what I’m working on:

I’m writing a novel about a female attorney named Vivica who is a bit of a know-it-all and doesn’t connect well with many people. Despite that, she’s successful in her job and believes in following the rules. Her father is a high-profile attorney who has been named chief-of-staff for the governor of Illinois, Doug Dragovic, a narcissistic oaf currently under federal investigation for criminal activity; he’s so vile that even Chicago newscasters call him “the Drag” or “the Dragon.”

Vivica’s sister is a college student who has become hooked on drugs and has secretly spent her tuition money. When Vivica is unwittingly caught in a drug deal with her, she ends up losing her law license and becomes a pawn in the governor’s desperate attempt to avoid prison. As her career unravels, Vivica finds herself passing the days as a dogwalker on Chicago’s north side.

Then, of course, Vivica finds out that she knows nothing, but eventually learns valuable lessons that change her life. (I’m only on Chapter 5!)

This is where, in the midst of my procrastination, a sprout of magic appeared. A friend suggested that I consider a side hustle dogsitting in my apartment. I was a little surprised that I hadn’t thought of this myself. Those of you who have known me a while know that before I had kids I owned a dog kennel for twelve years. Now I work at home and have a dog who has a large fenced in yard all to herself. And I’m writing about a lawyer-turned-dogwalker character.

Yes! I thought. Of course I should dogsit.

Flash forward a couple of weeks. I received my first request to watch a Corgi for five days. His owners brought him over for a meet-and-greet and he chased my dog around the yard and we all had a good laugh.

And the dog’s name was Dragon.

In my twelve years owning a dog service, I’ve never met a dog named Dragon.

Still, here’s the thing: I’m embarrassed to admit that I didn’t make the connection until this dog was sitting next to me on the couch while I was writing a scene about my character “the Dragon.” The dog barked loudly, causing me to jump out of my seat, and I yelled“Dragon!”

Sometimes it takes something loud and jarring to startle me into awareness.

But, as I said, when we pay attention, we see the sprouts of magic. We hear the low chuckle of the universe as it suppresses a laugh. We understand that truth really is stranger than fiction.

We get the nudges we need and know that we can—and should—keep writing.