Not Writing
May 15, 2001
7:16 a.m.
I'm now at that weird moment where my writing activity does not include creating words. Instead, I've been to the library and I'm reading. For established writers, I'm sure this is normal and probably a well-enjoyed part of the process. But it has always felt strange to me. Yes, I like it. I do enjoy reading things I wouldn't ordinarily read (but probably should). Yesterday I picked up books on the inner planets and on ecological issues. Last night I started reading. This morning, I'm continuing. Intellectually, I know that I'm writing. Intellectually, I know that this is what writers do, and have always done--they read and they go places and they try things out by hand and they generally think. Tim Powers explains his process as reading as many books as it takes him to find thirty or forty ideas that are so great they have to be in a book. Only then does he start writing. This is not how I work. [grin] At least, this is not how I am really comfortable working. I enjoy the process of creating words, and in my emotional mind I have this picture of a writer as one who sits before his machine and creates words--occasionally crumpling up the pages that come from his machine until they create a mountain of mush around his chair. Lisa told me that she thinks the Dare process of creating a first draft works so well for me specifically because I enjoy the follow-up process of fixing things up so much. This makes sense to me. Once I know I've got a story worth telling, I find it far easier to relax and get into putting the words into the right order. But until I know the story is good, I'll admit to fretting over plot and cause/effect issues too much to worry about whether I spelled all the words right or chose them with absolute precision. Geeze. I can go off on a tangent, can't I? Anyway. This morning I read ecological texts. Tomorrow perhaps a few others. I'll probably go back to the library for a few more pieces of information in the next few days. I'll focus on a few notes, then. And I'll spend a day or two going back to my outline and putting the story on the wall (I have a big chunk of blank wall where I storyboard my larger works with different colored post its). Then I'll be ready to dig into the words again. My fingers are itching already.   Have a great day.  Daily Persistence is © Ron Collins |
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