Silent Partner

Time to take a moment to thank my wife. Not only did she find out about the writing group at our local library, she supports me every week as I sit down to write. There is no way I could be doing any of this without her support. 

Keeping a night clear for writing isn't always easy. A lot of things happen that crowd my weekdays. However, knowing that there will be a night in the near future helps keep the thoughts flowing. If I had to wait until a time opened it would be hard to keep the intensity, but like a flame being covered the busy nights would douse at least a significant portion of the stories. It means I try and make other nights a little easier for her (try, if not always succeed). Without my silent partner it would be the writing that was silenced.  So, here's a cheer to my partner, and every other person who has supported a friend or loved one in their goals.

Writer's Block

There are times when it is hard to put into words what is inside the brain, trying to get written.  A mental barrier forms between the images or thoughts in our head and the keyboard or pen under our fingers.  There are different problems but the wall of Writer's Block is real, and makes more sense to me now than ever before.

Something that I've used to excuse laziness as much as anything else, I have recently realized that, even when I know exactly what I want as the result, putting something down on paper is not easy. Getting from the right idea to the (near) exact words can be like maneuvering the turns and dead ends of a maze. As I lay in bed this morning trying to work through an idea, that thought popped into my head and felt right. Maybe a good writer doesn't have new ideas; maybe a good author merely shows us the way from one idea to another. Sometimes while hurrying down an open writing path I bump against a dead end. Maybe I can push through and find the right way out and maybe I have to turn around and go back, look for another path that will lead in the right direction. Is this just me? Maybe. But I know the difference between being lazy, finding the right footing, and being unable to describe a story that my brain can see but not describe.

Writing Night

Tonight is writing night.  In fact, every Tuesday night is my night to write (thanks, honey!).  What I've found in my short stint as a wanna-be writer is that I can't force a subject if I want to have my heart in the words. Maybe that will change over time, but I don't think it will.  The key thing for me these days is to find a stream of ideas that I can send flowing out through my fingers.  Tapping a well of ideas is a good start but forcing it is like hauling thoughts out by buckets and dumping them onto the page.  They might pool together but they don't create anything interesting.  Tonight I'm trying to capture something worth writing.

There are streams inside my brain.  Most of the time one will surface and the words flow easily (if not always well).  Twice I have been able to find a way to stir the pooling water into a moving force.  Each time I had to go through a rough time of writing and re-writing, or even discarding large parts of the story.  But there are good ideas there, and it's been fun to dig in and find them.  So far, it's been a fun and rewarding experiment.  Writing nights are giving me time to be "artsy" and I'm loving it.

Why I Started Writing

For a long time I have wanted to write, but for dozens of reasons--none of them very good--I never did. I'm not talking about an occasional email to friends or family, either. For once I am listening to my wife and taking a chance at seeing what comes out of my brain once I let it take control of the keyboard.

So far, it's been a mixed bag.

About six weeks ago I started meeting with a group at the local library, and doing a little more at home. My writing is very much a work in progress, since having a good idea and writing a good story are two distinct things. I've got cupboards full of ingredients but no one would call me a cook. Likewise, just having ideas does not make someone a writer.

Here is where my adventure begins. Maybe some practice, reading and constructive criticism will help. In this blog I'll dump ideas, thoughts, lessons-learned and maybe parts of some stories. I want to see if the desires to write can be sated with an appetizer or if they will become a full course meal. Thanks to my wife for helping me through this first step.