Train Wrecks: How to Avoid Them (Mary Strand)

This month at YA Outside the Lines, we’re talking about risk-taking and knowing when to jump. (Jump in or jump out? I have no idea. I don’t have that sort of security clearance.)

Kenny Rogers, of course, sang it best in “The Gambler”:

You've got to know when to hold 'em

Know when to fold 'em

Know when to walk away

And know when to run

Truth is, I don’t find this difficult. I have inner voices shrieking at me all the time, telling me what to do. On the rare occasions when the voices are silent, which is both good and bad, I go for a long walk, ask what I need to know, and listen for the answers.

But.

I just finished writing a children’s book, my first, and it was also the first book of any kind that I’ve written since my horrific scooter accident a year ago. It’s good to be back! But now I’m in an odd-for-me place: I don’t know what to write next. YA or adult? And what story? The voices are silent, and long walks are in my immediate future.

But when I’m IN a book, with rare exception, I do know when to hold ‘em, fold ‘em, etc. I usually write three drafts: one long stint writing the whole dang thing, followed by an edit to answer any questions I have, followed by a make-it-pretty edit. I’m lucky in that my first draft is almost always the complete story, and I know that’s not true for everyone.

Not that my book world is always perfect. Twice, I had to abandon a book when it went off the rails and I simply couldn’t pull it back. (A third time, a book went wildly off the rails, but I wrenched it back on track just in time. Whew!) I’m on my twentieth manuscript, so I REALLY don’t do this lightly. But it’s like building a house without a foundation: get out before it falls down on you.

I take long walks to figure out life issues, too. I laughed at this month’s topic – risk taking – because people think of me as someone who takes risks. (Yes, I scare any number of people around me. But why they concern themselves with MY risks, and not theirs, I have no idea.) It’s just how I’m wired.

But even when I take risks, it’s all about that feeling I get when something is RIGHT. Or, conversely, when something is wrong. Many years ago, I was on the board of directors of a well-intentioned nonprofit organization. But they routinely overestimated their projected income and always fell short of it. My first year on the board, it bothered me, but I thought it must be an aberration. My second year on the board, I spoke up and said it was wrong, but they passed the budget anyway. I could see that train going down the tracks and FELT it derailing, and I always jump before it does. So I resigned.

Something similar happened with another board of directors, too. As soon as I felt the approaching derailment, I spoke up (because I’m also wired to fix things), then resigned when they ignored my advice. (And WOW did that train soon derail.)

It can be tricky with friends, too, right? If the situation is bad enough, I’ll jump off the train. More often, I watch the train and stay friendly, but keep an appropriate distance from the impending wreckage. As with everything else, my gut tells me what to do.

When I pay attention to my gut (and BOY do I regret it when I don’t), everything usually turns out all right. In books, and in life.

Now, excuse me while I go take a long walk. Really.

Mary Strand is the author of Pride, Prejudice, and Push-Up Bras and three other novels in the Bennet Sisters YA series. You can find out more about her at marystrand.com.