In today’s Journal
* Memory from a Writer’s Conference
* Of Interest
* The Numbers
Memory from a Writer’s Conference
Thanks to James Bell of The Kill Zone blog (see “Of Interest”) for serving as the catalyst for this memory
There was a time when I was asked to speak at several writer’s conferences all over the nation and in Canada.
At one of the larger conferences — I want to say it was in Tucson, Houston, or Oklahoma City but it might have been anywhere — I was hanging out in the lobby after a preentation.
Everywhere around me, herds of attendees were coming-from or going-to other presentations, or both.
A young writer or would-be writer approached. “I enjoyed your presentation.” He seemed tentative. “But could I ask you a personal question?”
“Sure.”
“I understand you’re a professional writer, and I understand it’s important to show up and do that every day. But you didn’t mean every day. What do you enjoy doing during your time off?”
I smiled. “I write.”
“No, I mean what do you do for fun?”
“I write.”
“But you can’t write 24/7. So really, just to escape for awhile, what do you do then?”
I laughed. “To escape? I write. Escaping is really the whole point.”
“But —”
I put up one hand. “I understand what you mean, but writing fiction is the most fun I’ve ever had. Sure, I do other, normal, routine things like going to the store or reading or watching TV. But whenever I can, I write.”
He looked skeptical. “I’m sorry, but that just seems boring to me.”
“Let me put it like this. My youngest son is a radio guy. It’s his passion. I mean, when he was three years old, maybe younger, whenever we were out in the car, he was pointing out ‘radio towers’.
“In his day job, he works for a huge communications company. But even when he isn’t at work, he’s a HAM radio operator, or he’s setting up a radio system for someone, or he’s setting up a ‘repeater,’ whatever that is, or he’s studying to move up in his profession or as a HAM operator, or he’s tweaking something he worked on before.
“Do you know any mechanics who fix cars on their time off? Or lawyers who brush up on other cases during their time off? Of cops who respond to trouble when they aren’t wearing the uniform? Or professional bass fishermen who fish even when they aren’t on camera?”
He frowned. “Well sure, but —”
“All those people are following their passion. And writing is my passion. Whenever I can, whenever I’m not pulled away to do a necessary chore or fulfill an obligation or sleep, I’m writing. In a blog I post almost every day, I even write about writing, kind’a paying it forward.”
He frowned. “Okay, I get it. I think. Writing is my passion too. Or at least it’s what I want to do. So how can I do what you do? How do I even start?”
“Sit down at a keyboard, drop a character with any little problem into a setting, and write whatever comes until the characters lead you through to the end.”
“But how do I write a novel?”
“Same thing. Only the story keeps going and you keep going with it. Just write down what happens and what the characters say and do in response. That’s it.”
Noticing the number of people moving through the lobby was dwindling, I glanced at my watch. “Look, I have to get to my next presentation. It’s called Writing Into the Dark. Why don’t you come along?”
“I would,” and he jerked one thumb over his shoulder, “but I was going to attend a lecture on the necessity of planning and the value of outlines.”
“If you were writing about a week in your neighbors’ life, would you try to plan or outline that? The only value of outlines is in their power to keep you from actually writing the story.” I gestured with my head. “Come with me. I’ll tell you the truth about writing.”
He came with me. Most don’t. But you can’t save everyone. There are always people standing on the roof of their house above rising flood waters and telling the guy in the rowboat to pass on by, that they’re waiting for a helicopter.
If writing fiction is your vocation, folks, show up to work every day. If it’s your avocation, figure out a schedule and stick to it.
Either way, set a daily word-count goal and, other than brief breaks, don’t get up until you’ve reached it.
There really is nothing else to it.
Talk with you again tomorrow.
Of Interest
How to Increase Your Productivity…
My Star Trek Writing: A Blast From the Past
The Numbers
The Journal……………………………… 800
Writing of Blackwell Ops 12: Nick Soldata (novel)
Day 1…… 3683 words. To date…… 3683
Day 2…… 3186 words. To date…… 6869
Day 3…… 3315 words. To date…… 10184
Fiction for October…………………… 42223
Fiction for 2023………………………… 259766
Fiction since August 1………………… 145219
Nonfiction for October……………… 13550
Nonfiction for the year……………… 211890
Annual consumable words………… 471596
2023 Novels to Date……………………… 5
2023 Novellas to Date…………………… 0
2023 Short Stories to Date……………… 6
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………… 76
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)…………… 9
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)…… 234
Short story collections…………………… 31
Disclaimer: I am a prolific professional fiction writer. On this blog I teach Writing Into the Dark and adherence to Heinlein’s Rules. Unreasoning fear and the myths of writing will slow your progress as a writer or stop you cold. I will never teach the myths on this blog.
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