I received a message recently asking whether a nonfiction book I’m working on had found a publisher. To be honest, I’ve finished the manuscript but have stalled in my efforts to secure a literary agents or publishers. I’ve received some nibbles, some great feedback, and some flat-out rejections but that’s not what has stalled my efforts. It’s this constant rain.
This summer in central Virginia has been insufferable. If this summer were a literary character it would be Malvolio from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. The Riverside Shakespeare describes Malvolio as “the pompous Comptroller of the Royal Household.” Like the constant rain, Malvolio destroys happiness everywhere he goes.
“At a party where everyone is joyously drunk, Malvolio is the guest who insists on remaining cold sober, who reads long lectures on temperance to everyone else, and threatens to summon the police.“
How can I be creative with such a villain constantly getting me down?
It’s not just my writing that has suffered from the constant rain. By this time last year I’d harvested over a hundred pounds of honey. I didn’t even bother cleaning my honey extractor this year.
My poor bees. They’ve been stuck inside their hives almost every day because of the rain – with disastrous results. Much of the nectar and pollen they rely on has been washed away by the constant rain. If this rain continues I’ll have to feed them sugar water to survive the winter.
Compared to others in America and across the globe I’m lucky. The James River hasn’t flooded my apiary. My hives haven’t been swept away. My family and friends, both human and animal, are safe.
But the constant rain is depressing. I want to visit my apiary and listen to the humming of the bees. I long for the focus and energy the sunshine brings. I need to return to my writing.
I better log off my computer now. Sounds like another storm is heading this way.
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BACCA Literary 