Writer's ADD...Really?

Is there a clinical condition for writers that is the equivalent of ADD? If so, I think I have it. Even as I'm blogging at this very moment, I am thinking of other things that I could be writing.

When it comes to writing fiction, I have no problem whatsoever with starting stories. The first paragraph is like the first hit of a strong drug to me. Once it's written, I just tend to get tired and sleepy. Then I look back later and think "I wrote that? Wow! I guess I should finish it now." But while I'm trying to finish up that "wild and crazy night", I remember other stories that I have started, waiting as if they were a puppies begging for treats.

I spend a good bit of my writing time trying to DECIDE what to work on, and either I get pulled in another direction and don't write anything at all, or I discover that I only have just a little bit of time left to even do it! It's not procrastination...it's writer's ADD, right? I wonder if any of the great authors had this problem. And the bigger question is, how do I tame the beast?

"A half-baked idea is okay as long as it's in the oven." - Unknown

Paula McLain On Writing - The National Post

A fantastic article about being a woman, writer, and mother by The Paris Wife author. Paula McLain: A room, a cranny, a borrowed (public) chair of one's own - published in The National Post, March 22, 2011.

Modern Writing and Reading, My Month of Firsts

As a writer, reader, and avid book buyer, the month of March has been a big month for me. I will ALWAYS support the printed, paper book. I don't care how many trees it saves to use other formats, the feel of a book in my hands (and even the smell) will always be special moments in my life. I don't think I could manage very well without books, coffee, chocolate, etc. etc.

For Christmas I ended up getting a Kindle, which I have to say, although it took me about 2 months to pick it up, I finally gave in and LOVE it! No, I can't smell the ink or feel the smoothness of paper under my fingertips, but I can read a large novel without giving myself carpel tunnel and it fits nicely in my purse. So, when I went to the bookstore a week ago and found myself picking up books and putting them back down, thinking I could just get them on my kindle, I shocked myself beyond belief. After rebelling for so long, I have become one of those people. And I have to say, I have no problem with it.

Another first for this month is the fact that I took a weekend trip to New Orleans and didn't go into a SINGLE bookstore!! Mind blowing, I know. I only even brought home one brochure, for a tour I didn't even get to take. I will admit, however, that I have been home from New Orleans for two days and have already called the Garden District Book Shop to order a signed book.

After months of hearing from various people that I should try writing on my iPhone in Evernote (an app that I have had for months but never really used much), I finally reached a point where I just had to do it. Fat-fingering on a phone keyboard is one of my big pet peeves, which is why I don't even text much. But on the way home from New Orleans, in the dark, there was no way I could pull out my notebook and pencil. So, I picked up my phone and wrote like made all the way from Natchitoches to Shreveport. Now...I just have to remember to actually transfer it all to my computer.

Where The Words Go...

I was on my way to the bookstore to pick up a handful of magazines that feature my newest article and I started thinking about all of the articles that I have written in the past 4 years. It is SO exciting to see the words, the thoughts that you have created in the printed form (especially if it's glossy!). I have poured my heart into approx. 4 years of experiences in the written form. I began laminating each article several weeks ago and was amazed at the portfolio I have created.

Then I thought...what happens to published articles after they've "done their time"?

I'm not talking about the actual paper that the piece is printed on...just the words, the story. Is it doomed to be filed away and forgotten forever? Do the words die a quick death with no hope for resurrection? Is it stolen by the same little gnome that tends to kidnap my socks on laundry day? Is it calling out to me, stretching out its "arms", yearning for me to pull it out of the flood of other published works?

I see each piece that I write as a part of me, a baby that has grown up and left home but it is still MINE. So as I work on new articles to distribute throughout, I continue to wonder about my "babies". Do they miss me?

April Issue of Louisiana Cookin'

The newest issue of Louisiana Cookin' Magazine is now in bookstores! My article about the World Championship Crawfish Etouffee Cook-Off in Eunice, LA is a mus-read!

Interruptions...And Who's Doing the Dishes?

The best time for planning a book is while you're doing the dishes. ~Agatha Christie

Getting my daughter ready for school, carpool, dishes, laundry, church obligations, Facebook, paying bills... these are just a few things that are scratching around in my mind while I try to write. My husband asked me the other day "Are you a house keeper or are you a writer?" I immediately said "A WRITER, of course!".

But who is going to vacuum the rug? Who is going to make sure we have toilet paper and the cat is fed? Even taking the time to shower or brew a single cup of coffee interrupts what could be precious minutes of writing. What's a writer to do? Put on your blinders to the floor that needs mopping or the fact that you're down to your last pair of undies? Oh, and there's this little thing called sleep...

How to balance the creative process with the reality of family life...it's a mystery to me.