Tuesday, March 22, 2011

On writing

Anybody who thinks that 'writing is easy' has never written a book and believe me, I speak from experience.  Not only my own but that of other writers.  Writing is a lonely job.  I don't know other writers' routines, but I know that, while I'm not a prima donna (really!), I have to have long stretches of well, boring time.  I cannot be dashing here and there, entertaining friends, even meeting friends for lunch without slowing my output.  A 2:00 PM dental appointment (actually any appointment) can throw me off.  Being aware that I'm going to have to leave the computer is always at the back of my mind and plays havoc with my muse (the bitch) and yet...  There are times that I can field 50 phone calls, wash and fold clothes, put the dogs in and out, sit with Howard for coffee and have 15 people show up at the front door and have an amazing day on the book.  It's baffling, even to me.  I guess it's a case of when you're hot, you're hot and when you're not, you're not.
Writers with young children, writers who have full time jobs are my heros.  There are writers with growing families who are attending conferences, blogging (and we know how great I am at that), taking on other projects and yet they continually meet deadlines and write some really great books.  My hat is off to all of them -- and they deserve a big round of applause.   Oh, and added sales :-)

3 comments:

  1. Hi Shirlee, since I was a child, I will like to become a writer, I have a blog, and I am a university professor, so I have the oportunity to write academically. But my dream is write a novel, and many times I sat with many ideas but I star to write and more ideas come to me and what I have written I do not like and I add new ideas, and I never finish a manuscript.... Do you have any advice?? I would appreciate it....greetings, Rossana :)

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  2. Hi Ross: The main thing is to keep going forward. I NEVER like what I have written and most new writers stall out on that first chapter. They want it PERFECT. Believe me, it never will be. You have to keep moving forward -- you can always go back and change/revise the parts that really bug you. You'd be surprised at your reaction if you go back later (weeks/months) and re-read your work. I've written pages I was certain I absolutely hated, yet weeks or months later I've been pleasantly surprised, thinking "Hmm. Not bad." So keep moving forward -- even if you hate what you've written. Ta, Shirlee

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