Trying to edit one book, complete another and research a
third may not be good for a writer’s mental health. But, that is what I am
doing, not sure why. I have a backlog of several completed, first draft books that I need to edit, polish and just
finish up. I remember reading once that writing can be the loneliest profession
and whoever said it may have been trying
to do too many things at the same time.
Oh, and I attempt, often weakly to sell a few of my books also.
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| Pitching a book |
It is so easy to get started then look up and several hours
have passed. Unlike many writers I don’t do much during the regular work day.
Guess my 42 year teaching career warranted some of the normal work day hours
off. So when do I write? Three in the afternoon to whenever I decide it is time
to quite, three to six hours most days.
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| Research trip? Sitting in the Oregon Trail Ruts south of town yesterday. |
Walking, playing golf, gardening
and photography take up many of my mornings, not a bad way to spent the early
part of the day either. Not sure I could ever treat writing as a day job. I
have written for many years, publishing my first stories more than 30 years
ago. Now that I am retired I still write in the evenings and on weekends, same
as I have done for three decades. Does that fall under the old adage, “you can't teach an old dog new tricks?”
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| Typical working morning for the old history teacher |
Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long
bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one
were not driven on by some demon whom we can neither resist nor understand.
George Orwell.
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