“That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us…”
St. John the Beloved
I know writers who say that they
write every day. I think it’s great—I don’t do it. Writers who write each day probably
spend a good deal of time writing about writing. Maybe that’s why I see so many
people advertising books designed to tell all the secrets of successful
writing. They must be writing what they know.
I’m all for writing what I know.
I’m just never comfortable with what I know, and how much I know. (Contrary to
what you may have heard, I do not know it all.) Some days are for getting out
and living—or staying in. Today I worked a jigsaw puzzle with my sweetheart,
which is a way of escaping into nothing but shapes and colors.
I’m currently editing four books
for other authors, writing a novel of my own, and digging through receipts and
forms to pay my taxes. I also have two books to go over with the proofreader
before launching them. Oh, and an audiobook under review before it’s launch.
Write what I know? I know I need
a mental health day!
Today it was a puzzle. Some days
it’s just sitting by the river, a drive in the country, or a day trip someplace
fun. For me, getting out and living a little free of the daily grind is field
research. You get out in the field of life and search about for something to
do—preferably something you haven’t done before.
I generally get my own reading in
(every writer should be a reader), maybe watch an online lecture, or do what
most people think of as research in the evening. Right now, that includes
reading up on voodoo, hoodoo, Santeria, New Orleans landmarks, and Louisiana
geography for the book I’m writing. In November it was Union Pacific routes, gubernatorial
pardons, army posts in 1869 and the overland route from Wyoming to Nebraska.
There’s an awful lot of reading
and study that goes into daydreaming and writing down what you’re fantasizing
about. So, taking a much needed break to experience life is important. Some
smart as—person will remind me that I’m writing now. So, I’m not really taking
the day off, I’m still writing every day.
That’s true in a way. But
blogging, for me, is more like talking to myself, I do that whether I’m writing
or not. Sometimes I even listen to myself.
Maranatha
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