Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Tuesday's Inspiration - More Thoughts on Word By Word

Ann Lamot has an interesting few paragraphs about answering the question I believe is "How do you write?" I've been asked this question and I'm not as funny as she is so if you have a chance read Birt by Bird.

She starts out by saying you sit down at approximately the same time every day." We all know how impossible this is. I've trained myself to write just about everywhere. If not on the paper I can write in my head. This isn't so cool when you're driving or when walking. There are crazy drivers out there and cracks in the sidewalks waiting to ambush you. I don't always write on the computer. Sometimes it's pen and paper.

There's also those people around you who don't understand you're working. They call on the phone or just drop in. Tune them out. An occasional uhum or a yes will let them believe you're listening. There's also the voice in your head that says this is a bunch of nonsense or sometimes in stronger words. I try to tell these voices, It's all right, I'll revise it later.

So I close with this try to set a schedule of time or number of words and just keep writing day after day and suddenly there's a story or a book.

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