Just taking a break from the holiday. Doing nothing is very hard work. Actually we have been doing something, we had three days shopping with pub lunches and wine in the afternoon and three days of therapeutic work on the kitchen. Himself is doing the hard work, I'm just nesting really which is a bit of a worry. We've been off a week so there must have been another day but as I don't remember what we did it must have been nothing. Phew!
I haven't really written anything at all apart from an hour or so editing yesterday morning which I spent editing when everyone else was still in bed. The same thing this morning but instead of editing I thought I'd check out what was happening in blogland.
I thought that I'd have a muse while I was here.
I have often heard/read people say that they just "have" to write. At the risk of offending some people which is not my intention I would like to challenge that.
As a person you "have" to breathe, you "have " to eat, you "have" to sleep etc etc but you don't "have" to write. I know the point that they are trying to make but I just think that its a bit OTT.
I personally love to write and would love to earn a living doing so. I say earn a living not necessarily my living. Lots of best selling authors still have jobs that they do in the real world. And people that do write for their living don't just write and write all day, every day even though that is what I fear many would be bestselling authors aspire to.
No, as I said, I love to write and if my lottery numbers came up last night and I didn't have to go make to work a week tomorrow I would still write. I would have more time so I probably would write more but I wouldn't "have" to. I would be doing it then for the same reason that I do it now and that is because I enjoy it.
What brought all this on was something that I read recently where a woman said (I am paraphrasing here as I no longer have the article to refer to.)
"I just have to write every day, I couldn't live without it. It is as vital to my life as anything else in it." I actually wanted to shake this woman and tell her to get a life. Writing is great but living is better
She also went on to say that she was certain that her perseverance would pay off and that one day she would be a best selling author. She said that she would like nothing better than to sit at her desk and write all day long. Where would her new ideas come from? What would be her inspiration? How would she ever have clean clothes?
Sorry if I have offended anyone. Sorry if one of you recognises your words in what I paraphrased and feel that I've been unkind. I wouldn't hurt anyone's feelings for the world.
I just wanted to share my opinion on something with you all. It is of course only my opinion.
Must go - very busy day ahead.
1. Take coffee back to bed and read for an hour or so.
2. Walk the dog.
3. Eat breakfast.
4. Read for another hour or so.
5. Make lunch.
6. Eat lunch.
7. Have a nap.
8. Have a bath.
9. Share a bottle of wine with Himself.
10. Relax.
Its all go!!!
3 comments:
I suspect that many writers can be overly dramatic, as can other creative types. This is not necessarily a bad thing; I'm not saying we're all "Gwyneths", but just something to be aware of. The exaggerations are just to add emphasis, I'm sure. Surely they don't believe they would really actually die if they didn't write.
On a related subject, I have to say that I don't hold much sway with some of the "mumbo jumbo" that I hear some writers talking about. I mean things like having a muse (sorry), carrying out strange rituals for luck, only using their favourite pens, etc. I'm just too technically- and practically-minded for that. Still, I suppose there's no harm in it.
Anyway, I hope you are thoroughly enjoying your relaxation.
Oooh, I’ll take up your challenge, Gonna Be (grin).
I think, in a way, writers do write every day. Not necessarily by physically writing, but by storing away little things that might be used in a story.
I haven’t written anything
story-wise since I finished my Christmas story last Wednesday. But I’ve done writing related stuff since then: bought and read magazines (research as well as pleasure), sent a query off to an agent, visited a few blogs (reading posts and writing a comment often puts an idea in the internal ideas box – or resurrects a previously stored idea).
So writing is a part of my life and I couldn’t “not” write, but I do – and enjoy doing – lots of other things, too.
And, looking at your list of the ten things you’ll be doing today; there’s a story in every single one of them.
Enjoy the rest of your holiday
Pat
Great break thanks.
Lets hope that noboby dies because they don't write otherwise I'm not long for this world. Interesting idea about a story in each of the things I listed Pat. I my well try it. I'll let you know.
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