Some thoughts on writing as I write (and drink my tea or cocoa):
- Writing is a lonely endeavor, even when done in a crowd.
- Writing can be like walking down an unknown road with fog and mist hiding the twists and turns, but when you look back at from where you’ve walked, you see things clearly. Yeah, I know, that’s what life is like, too. But in writing, it means you can go back to what you’ve written and put up little signs to alert the reader of something coming up ahead – something called foreshadowing.
- A personality flaw – seeing ulterior motives behind every word and gesture, even when there is none – is a boon to a writer. I have this personality flaw in spades. A pain in real life, but … While in life, such ulterior motives don’t exist, in your writing, they can keep your reader on the edge of his or her seat, wondering what a character really meant by a casual observation or turn of phrase.
- There is such a thing as over-thinking one’s writing. I experienced that as I reread my first manuscript (Hammil Valley Rising).
- Writing about my characters makes me more aware of the real characters around me, including myself. I’m observing everything I do as I do it and making mental notes. Washing dishes – mundane in real life but a source of intrigue in the right situation in your novel. Same for other everyday tasks, in the home, at work, out and about, or wherever. Thank goodness for those mundane tasks, too. They give my whirling brain a chance to slow to the speed of light and my fingers to catch up on the keyboard.
Too much thinking. Need to get back to my writing. And thanks for stopping by!
A.C. Cargill, Author 