Why write?

What compels you to write? Do you write for personal satisfaction, possible publication? Do you keep a diary/journal? Do you struggle for the right word, toy with sentence structure, get frustrated when the words won't flow? Do you give up, lay the pen aside, get sidetracked sifting through email and blogs, or do you flip the computer completely off? If you're here to see what's up with me, and it's just a quick diversion, that's fine. I sent off a column that's due. I could have done more, a lot more!

If you're here to avoid doing what you should be doing, get your little self back to writing.(grin) Think back to childhood and write about what you used to do at dark on a hot summer evening. I loved paper tag and hide and go seek at dusk. Dang those mosquiotes.

I attended a St. Louis Writer's Guild meeting years ago in January. The presenter asked us to write our publication goal for the year. I wrote, I want to get six things published; compensation would be nice, but really not important.

I surprised myself that year when I got twelve things published and six were paying publications. You can do it too. Just don't give up when things slow down or rejections arrive. Don't take it personal. Do take a break if you must; everyone needs recess. But get right back into it.

Someone recently said about me, "Linda sees a call out and she's right there with a story." I think that's a fair assessment. All you have to do is pull from your reservoir of life stories. But for the life of me, I can't come up with a golf story. I'm sure miniature golf wouldn't count!