During any given year, there are two times that come up that are the absolute best times to write if you are a writer.
In fact, even if you’re not a writer but simply aspire to being one, you can take advantage of these two great times when, during the circling calendar the stars align, but more importantly the time is the most opportune for writing.
And lucky you, I, a professional writer, am going to share the secret of these two times with you.
This week a writing friend of mine, Colleen Winter, who is publishing her debut Sci-Fi Thriller novel, THE GATHERER in November 2019, sent me a text message:
HELP! I have a million-dollar question for you today. How is it that you give the appearance of being on social media a lot, but you say that you actually aren’t on very much? I’m trying to organize my life and could use some tips.
I chuckled, but understood the panic of trying to write a novel with a deadline, plus manage your social media accounts, plus be a mom, feed the kids, show up for your job in body, mind and in good spirit, shop for groceries, cook, eat, clean up… and the list goes on and on and on.
Here are some real truths that may or may not answer her million-dollar question:
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I love road trips and I love my life-long friend, Jenn.
Jenn was widowed just over a year ago and when she shared with me that her attempts to be brave and independent included a drive to the east coast this summer, I jumped at the chance to be her co-pilot on the journey.
It would be the second such adventure for us as we’d taken a cross country drive together over forty years ago – before spouses and kids – to Edmonton, Alberta. That trip was in my 1968 Camaro. This time we hit the road in her trusty GMC truck with Border Collie, Blue along for the ride.
Destination: Nova Scotia!
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Dear Reader,
If you’ve been perusing these blogs over the years, you have pretty much figured out that we Ascribe writers are always keen to flex our writing muscles. That there are all sorts of opportunities for writing exercises – if you keep your eyes and mind open.
The opportunities I’ve had for practicing what I call guerilla writing forays have come from the most mundane moments: riding the bus to work; crossing a street in an unfamiliar city; hearing an exchange while standing in line in the bank; walking up rickety steep stairs in an old lighthouse. I’m sure you have had similar “aha!” moments where you think, ‘ I want to describe this experience, or that little scene would add to a story….’
I recently got lost in the House of Eternal Return. I should not have been surprised. After all, when I opened the refrigerator, instead of shelves with packaged food was a dark narrow hallway. I bent my head and stepped into the fridge (a weird experience itself). And then, most alarming was that I eventually ended up in a cave with a giant woolly beast towering over me.
Meow Wolf is an art collective based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In 2016, they opened their “The House of Eternal Return” — an interactive, multimedia art experience. Vince Kadlubet, one of Meow Wolf’s co-founders, refers to as “immersive storytelling.” George Martin (of Games of Thrones), provided substantial funding to help the over 133 artists create this art installation in a former bowling alley.
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Writing can be a solitary place.
But it doesn’t have to be.
In pondering topics for this blog, the same thought kept floating to the surface.
I am so thankful for the writers in my life.
Yes, you!
(As I suspect, at this time in my writing career, most of my readers are writers.)
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Interview with Self:
Me: What are you afraid of?
Myself: I’m afraid of being a bad writer.
Me: But people have complimented you on your writing; it can’t be all bad?
Myself: Yes, but that’s after many edits.
Me: But writing is editing.
Read moreBecause we’re such a curious bunch, writers are always on the lookout for material to inspire, educate, fascinate. Cafes, restaurants, concerts, sporting events — any place where people congregate — is a great source for material.
But the best place? Go sit in a hospital emergency room for a while, because these places are teeming with humanity. An ER is a window to the world of how people respond, cope, survive (or not), how they give and take, how they communicate and, well, everything in between.
Recently I made the trip to the ER because I had an excruciatingly painful flare-up of a shoulder condition, and I wasn’t sure exactly what was causing it. The pain was making me nauseous and spiking my blood pressure, so off my partner and I went for the long wait to see a doctor.