Are Your Eyes Open?

You know how it's awesome to go on vacation--where you have THE BEST TIME EVER, natch--but then it's over and you're so glad to be home? Yep, that's me. :)

It's Monday and it's raining in Jacksonville and my kids are playing putt-putt in the den (with real golf clubs and wickedly hard real golf balls) and it's all good. Because I'M SO GLAD TO BE HOME! :)

My relief MAY have something to do with this:

That was my view yesterday. FOR TEN HOURS.

Yesterday we drove home from Richmond, during which the song "Call Me Maybe" came on the radio too many times to count. Gah! We caved to the DVD pressure early, but still. No matter what you do to pass the time (Travel Bingo! License plate tag! Books! Music! Movies! Referee fighting over movies!) the time must still, well, pass.

And making road trips more interesting *cough* painful *cough* for me is a teeny problem called motion sickness. I can't read or type in the car because I get incredibly carsick. So I basically looked outside, FOR TEN HOURS. But when you look, I mean, really LOOK, with no expectations at all, you see some cool stuff. Like these clouds:

Aren't they amazing? I'd like to paint them (leaving out the Days Inn sign of course! LOL) What you can't see is that off to the right, rain is falling like molten silver. It was absolutely gorgeous, and if I'd keep my eyes straight ahead--or worse, closed them altogether--I'd have totally missed it. And it was breathtaking.

Tackling revisions is a lot like staring at the same stretch of highway you've been staring at for hours. Same straight line, same group of cars around you, with minimal shifts. A Ford Fiesta exits, and is replaced by a Dodge Caravan. And the ride continues. But if you look away, keeping your eyes and mind open, you might find something unexpected. Something that makes your journey richer, adding depth even as you keep traveling toward your destination.

Is your WIP stuck in a rut? Are you so trapped in your draft that you can't look away from the same plot path or character arc you've been traveling along for weeks...or even months? Then put it down, but don't close your eyes. :) Keep them wide open--to all the possibilities. You just might find something unexpected. Maybe even incredible. :)

Because we're talking Eyes Open and I LOVE Snow Patrol, here's some inspiration from Gary himself:

 

Snow Patrol "Open Your Eyes"

This video is shot almost exclusively from INSIDE A MOVING CAR. Could it be more perfect?! (Answer: no.) ;)

Enjoy! And oh--the end is the best part. :)

Are your eyes open? Seen anything unexpectedly cool lately? And how are your revisions going?