I recently read somewhere to only write what you know and if you don't know about it, read about it. I once attended the Louisiana Book Festival in Baton Rouge and had the chance to ask Pulitzer Prize-winner Rick Bragg how one would know if a story is worth writing, and of course, eventually reading. He told me with all seriousness that if it means anything to me at all, then yes, it is most certainly worth it. I am determined to milk his reply for all it's worth. This is my journey. The ups. The downs. And all of the words in between.

Friday, March 11, 2011

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.
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1 comment:

  1. kim wellsMarch 11, 2011 at 2:35 PM

    It's a little of all of that. I have ignored my laundry all week while writing. I have about 20 new pages of writing and five baskets of clean, five baskets of dirty, laundry. And I'm fine with it.

    Answer him, You Are Both. Sometimes, we peck at one pile, sometimes at another.

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