A writer's note

 

Out and about, looking for inspiration . . . and buzzard feathers. (Photo from personal collection)

Agatha Christie said the perfect time to plot a novel was over the washing up. Personally, I find that long walks along countryside paths are great to spark inspiration. There's plenty of time and space to play out conversations. To run through scenes and scenarios. To ponder ideas, and other points of view. If I remember to take a notebook with me, it can be a very productive walk indeed!

But, once ideas have bloomed and burst into life, what then? What to do with those ideas? Well, some of them simply fizzle out, as sparks often do. Brilliant little things that die in cold darkness. Others are tossed into a notebook, perhaps the spark that will ignite a flame. And sometimes they do – a poem, a blog post, a short story . . .

It's the lot of the struggling writer. I try to nurture these ideas, navigating everyday demands, tiredness, a lack of money, and the echoes of mocking voices bouncing of the walls of my mind. Unfortunately, so far, I am better at struggling than I am at writing. Or, at least, writing something that gets into print. And, to be honest, puts money in my pocket.

I am fairly certain that I am a good writer. I'm not so daft as to think myself a great writer, but I do think I am a good one. At least good enough that I could match others which have found their audience.

My problem, I think, is not the quality of the writing that I can produce. No, it's the procrastination, the tiredness, and, you know, life. That's why books like The Organised Writer by Antony Johnston find their way onto my shelves. A hope to overcome the only flaws I know I can really do something about, my own.

Writers, how do you find ideas? And, how do you navigate life's little demands?

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And, so it begins . . .

 

Fuel for the writing . . . or the daydreaming. (Photo from personal collection)

I have just ordered a copy of Getting Published by Alysoun Owen, the hope being that it will spur me on to, well, you know, get published. The title of the book is pretty straightforward. Here's hoping it's one of those "does what it says on the tin" deals.

Of course, fulfilling the desire of seeing one's work in print does require some effort from the writer. I can't just hope that having the book on my shelves will, through some magical process of osmosis of knowledge and reality, get me published and printed – though part of me would love that!

Maybe I should stick the receipt in plain view when the book arrives. Poking just out of the book where it will stand on my shelves. A reminder that I spent money – a scant resource – on the thing. When daily chores, procrastination, and self doubt bleed in, a little reminder that I parted with money, that I invested in myself, could pull me into those pages. Mining for knowledge. Spurring me into action.

Books have that power over me. They inspire me, and not just with my writing. From words on a page, I can be inspired to act. That's why books on writing and publishing are forever being added to my shelves. 

For me, during these sunnier months of the year, the pull of other things threatens much more to take me away from writerly efforts. Who wants to be stuck indoors, brows furrowed, hunched in the unholy glow of some blank and demanding screen? The cursor pulsing there in the abysmal white, a mocking beat.

It's summer! We could just go outside and listen to the birds for a while. And, if we're going to do that, I would love, love, love an ice cold bottle of some good cider. The cold beads of water dribbling down the bottle, making my fingers wet . . .

And when we've had enough of that, let's just stream true crime documentaries and fall asleep . . . Yeah?

Sounds pretty good. I mean, life and other people can be harsh in their unrelenting demands. We definitely deserve some time to ourselves. But, you know, and I know, that that "me time" is going to feel much richer if we have it as a reward for time spent writing.

I started this blog – welcome to this, my very first writing blog post, by the way – for the same reasons I started writing at all. Firstly, there is simply an urge that I cannot quite explain, though I think it comes from a general appreciation and love for the written word; I am an avid reader, a bibliophile, and the urge to write, I believe, springs forth from that. 

Secondly, there is a desire to feel less alone. Which is, I suppose, a fairly universal desire; don't we all want some form of acceptance, community, and, just maybe, love? I have found those things in the books I have read. I have felt seen because of them. And, as I do so with reading, I think I can find a little of the same by writing.

Hopefully some of you that actually clicked on the link that brought you here have stuck with me this far. I hope so. Because I really would love to reach out across this digital Wild West we call the internet and find fellow writerly travellers. If you made it this far, why not stick a "howdy" and some feedback in the comments – it'd be much appreciated, pardner!

Okay. Well, I am almost done here, for now. That coffee in the opening image looks pretty good to me now. I might have one of those, and flip through a magazine or two. Which isn't procrastination, I swear! It's research!

Here's the thing. All that procrastinating, all those daily chores, and even the self doubts, can make for good material. And maybe I will talk about that in the next post. 

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Thank you for reading!

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