This month's question is:
"Did you ever say 'I quit'? If so, what happened to make you come back to writing?"
At first I was going to answer "no" to this question, but I realized it wouldn't be true. In high school, I wrote a novella for a creative writing class on a typewriter of all things, and it was a pretty draining project. It also ended up being pretty poor. I pressed what few friends I had (back in the day I was not a popular kid) to read it, and I could tell it wasn't good from their reactions (although they tried to find positive things to say about it). Anyway, it was an exhausting thing to produce, and I was glad it was done. I pretty much quit after that for many years.
I'm not sure what brought me back to writing, or if it was any one thing. I remember the night I started tapping away at keys. I'd bought a new computer, and I'd been playing a lot of World of Warcraft on it. It was a warm summer night and I was sipping a cool drink by an open screen door. And I just wanted to write about something. I wanted to use this computer I'd bought for something more than video games. It doesn't sound very glamorous at all. There really wasn't any big revelation or anything like that. It was just more of a "want" to use some equipment that I'd invested a thousand bucks in for more than just entertainment.
I suppose that once a writer always a writer. We probably all share that bug in us, some obviously more than others.
Can you imagine writing what we do now on a typewriter? White out was such a Godsend and the correction ribbon even more. But the ease of just backspacing trumps all.
ReplyDeleteAre you doing any writing these days?
ReplyDeleteI'm still editing my manuscript that I had you edit over a year ago. As soon as I get that done, I'll probably start working on another book. Moving into a house, mom dying, etc., took all the wind out of my sails for months on end.
DeleteYou'll still probably have it done before GRR Martin finishes the GOT book.
DeleteI recently acquired a new computer/software and I feel the need to be on it as much as possible so that my significant other continues to think that the investment was worth it. Perhaps not the best motivation, but it's great for my word count. :)
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't a writing -ban-; it was a writing pause.
ReplyDeleteGlad you came back to it. I guess you just had to be ready.
ReplyDeleteI don't quit writing, but sometimes the well goes dry and I need to wait for inspiration.
ReplyDeleteIronically, I just received in the mail today my proof from Createspace for my second Charity MacCay novel; I'll be publishing and posting on Amazon both volumes later this month. And while stories are always percolating in my head, I feel a deep need to quit writing fiction, just compose a very short nonfiction piece and then likely give up writing. This is almost a resolve, which gives me a kind of peace. This will be good news for most friends and all my (few) relatives, who truly don't want me to ask them anymore to read what I've written and give me their feedback. Oh, the burden of knowing a neurotic writer!
ReplyDelete