͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more

NEW PARIS BOOK IN PROGRESS IN 2024: A LULL – Blog  22

My next book is in progress ...

MARTINA NICOLLS

Jul 7

READ IN APP

A lull. A lull is a temporary interval of a lack of activity or a period of calm or quiet. I’m having a lull. A lull from writing my new Paris book. Not a lull from other happenings.

It’s called ‘life’ and as singer songwriter John Lennon (1940-1980) wrote in his 1980 song Beautiful Boy,

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”

Lennon wasn’t the originator of these lyrics though. American journalist and cartoonist Allen Saunders (1899-1986) wrote those words in 1957.

Don’t misconstrue. I don’t use the phrase to mean that I was sitting around waiting for something to happen and life happened instead. No, I merely mean that I was busy doing other stuff. Of no greater or lesser importance than writing my Paris book.

The lull was due to work, a week in Dubai, a Podcast production, and pre-Olympic Games activities, such as collecting my OG volunteer gear and role training.

So, what happens after a lull? For me, not a frantic catch up on the number of words per day times the number of lull days to get to a perfect word count. Oh non monsieur, pas pour moi! (Oh no sir, not for me). Because life maketh the book! More or less.

American actress Q’orianka Kilcher (1990-) said it well:

“I used to have all these plans and think ‘Ah, I have my whole life figured out,’ but then I realized no matter how much I plan: life happens!”

And singer songwriter Melissa Etheridge (1961-) said,

“Life happens, and I write about it wherever I am.”

I’m of the Etheridge type.

I get on track, I get off track, I take direct routes, I take indirect routes. I like indirect routes – in Paris. Interesting stuff happens on indirect routes in the city of Paris. Being in Paris, I am reminded of the words of one of my favourite French poets, Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867),

“What strange phenomena we find in a great city, all we need do is stroll about with our eyes open. Life swarms with innocent monsters.”

And what is a book anyway but experiences in life. Baudelaire adds,