The Writing Day
Nothing like having a character get into an existential argument with himself to blow your mind when you're writing. It's like, wait...what? I need a lot more coffee to keep up with this.
But, time to stop writing like crazy, walk home and return to real life, which means the more mundane existence of shopping, running errands and cleaning house. I must confess I've done little house cleaning, other than some dishes, in the last few weeks. My wife has been taken care of it all. Guess that's why I'm taking her to Vegas next month. Recharge her existential batteries.
Keywords:
Writing is exploring myself and discovering the stories and characters that managed to burrow into me. It's a trek, a space shot, an endurance race, a transcendental existence and a dark, worrying tunnel.”
About Michael
1956 - I was born in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Some other things happened that year, too. Moved around the country as a military brat before finding anchor in Pittsburgh, PA. Lived there 8 years, moved to southern West Virigina, graduated high school and...
Connections
Causes Michael Seidel Supports
Kiva, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Propublica.org, Doctors Without Borders, GreaterGood.com
Michael’s Favorite Books
Catch 22, Catcher In The Rye, Ender's Game, Mysteries of Pittsburgh, Lonesome Dove, Children of Men, The Handmaid's Tale, The Left of Darkness, The Cancer Ward...
Michael is a fan of
Returning to the mundane
Michael,
Returning to the mundane is always hard for me. Except when my writing isn't going well, so that it's mundane, too. Then it's too easy. Anyway, I gather from your post--from the part where you say that it's time for you to stop writing and to walk home--that you don't write at home? Do you always write at a coffeeshop or elsewhere outside the home? Just wondering, as I'm often moving all over the house, in every single room, in order to find a writing place that feels right for that moment. Just wondering how you do it.
Keep writing, no matter where you do it.
Steve
I try writing at home but it rarely works ~
Too many life interruptions and easy escapes are offered. Years ago, when I decided I needed to be more disciplined about writing, I approached it as I would exercising or getting ready for a business meeting or conference. With all those activites, there's a place, time, and agenda. (There's also a dress code for those things, and one of the great things about writing is no dress code.) Walking to a coffee shop helps me shed my real life and don my secret writer identity. The coffee shop offers me no real world reminders of what needs to be done, no wife interrupting me for any reason, no cats getting on my lap or asking for food, no television or stereo remote controls, and no books to read. It's me time, for writing, editing, revising. The cup of coffee is my timer although my ass usually falls asleep and a half cup of cold coffee typically remains when I stop writing for the day.
Thanks for stopping by, and for your interest. Keep writing it down. Cheers