Wednesday, February 23, 2011

How do you write?

Write Jobs is a writer's blog that you will definitely want to check out. Be sure to look at the side bar on the right side.

Do you believe that you must write something everyday? Are you the kind of writer who forces yourself to write? Stepehen King used to do that.

I personally cannot write on demand, not even if I demand it of myself. I sit in workshops and watch others scartch out plots and scenes and complete stories. I envy these people. I can produce a great tome or poem if I am relaxed and it is quiet. But the moment my concentration is broken, a door slams on my creativity.

Give me a topic, almost any topic and I can write a personal essay. Most people regard me as an inspirational Chicken Soup writer. Google "Linda O'Connell Chicken Soup" and you will find many of my published pieces, not all C.S.

Lately though, I have been stretching my writer's muscles, taking on new genres. At first it felt awkward, but the more I practiced, the more comfortable I became. When I write from my own perspective I know what is going to happen next.

When writing a piece for a fiction contest the other day I surprised myself when I actually took on the voice of the main character, a scoundrel of a man. That was some scary fun. I figured I did a fair job when my daughter said, "I could actually see and hear that horrible guy!" (I will email it to anyone who wishes to read it.)

Now that's enough to keep my creative juices flowing. Even though I do not write everyday, other than on my blog, I allow my ideas to percolate, simmer, and then at some point, they pour onto the page and I stew up a storm of syllables, sentences and stories. Argh! alliteration, sorry, I got carried away there!

Could you give me a few words, your thoughts about crossing the bridge between winter and spring? Do you stomp? leisurley glide? How do you make it these last few weeks when winter still has some of us in its clutch, yet spring is a breath away?

16 comments:

Susan said...

Hi Linda...How do I survive crossing the bridge between winter and spring? Well, as you know, I definitely buy flowers in the supermarket!

Get out my brightest kitchen tablecloths, like yellow and blue, and put faux yellow tulips on the windowsill in the kitchen along with cobalt blue glass pieces.

Work on my "backyard" and "gardening" scrapbook...clip photos from magazines of how I'd like things to look around here. This is FUN and very therapeutic. Some even come to pass.

Keep b-u-s-y! Right now, I'm working on expanding my eBay business so I'm taking lots of photographs of "things" I want to sell and writing descriptions. This keeps me VERY busy.

Continue to work on the daunting task of organizing things in the house...one drawer and closet at a time.

Plan one-day excursions I want to take when the weather breaks into sweet spring.

And, of course, write, write, write, write, write.

Before I know it, WOWSERS, the bridge is crossed and it's SPRING!!!!!!! Susan

Bookie said...

After a long winter, I usually ROLL into spring on inflated thighs from potato soup, sourdough bread, forbidden cookies and dash of Lindt chocolate!

Linda, you KNOW I want to read your story. Please email me!

Linda O'Connell said...

Susan,
What a positive attitude. You do keep yourself busy awaiting the big warm up.

Linda O'Connell said...

Claudia,
Ha ha I am right there with you! Honesty and a bit of forbidden chocolate.

Pat Wahler said...

Maybe bulldoze my way into spring? I'm always overly anxious for it to arrive.

Pat
www.critteralley.blogspot.com

Tammy said...

I feel like I hop, just like the weather here in St. Louis. You know: two steps forward, one back...? Congrats on stretching all of those writer muscles! I feel like even those muscles are flabby this time of year. Would love to read that story, though! ;)

Kim Lehnhoff said...

I just stand still, and let Spring come to me - do you think I'm going to wait outside in this unpredictable meteorological mess until the sun shows itself and decides to stay?

Spring is like a cheating boyfriend, not to be trusted.

Linda O'Connell said...

Tammy,
You are so right, two steps forward, one back. Today was a mess with that icy 26 car pile up. One of my CS writer friend's husband is the photographer for the news station. I was so worried he was the one involved, but it was a coworker.

Linda O'Connell said...

Hi JFC,
Yeah, you're the smart one, stay inside where it is warm. You're so right...a lousy, teasing cheat!

Linda O'Connell said...

Pat,
Bulldoze, good word choice.

Lisa Ricard Claro said...

Day by day. Here in Atlanta the motto is, "Don't like the weather? Wait a second." I mark spring by my daughter's birthday, which for her nearly 17 years (Feb 27th) has almost without exception been a beautiful spring day. After that I watch for daffodils and robins, and then those gorgeous Bradford pear trees that declare spring has arrived!

Linda O'Connell said...

Lisa,
I love those Bradford pear trees and also the red buds. Today instead of envisioning the "wintry, sloppy, snowy mess" meterologist's words, I shall envision Bradfor pears in full bloom. I prefer that white to snow.

BECKY said...

Oh, I love Bradford Pear Trees,too!! They just make me smile as I drive by tons of them in my neighborhood every spring...but I still have the month of March to get through...I actually hate the month of March! It's long and cold and dreary and gray and lasts way tooooo long. Hey now, didn't I just bring a cheeriness to your blog today, Linda?! :o

Peggy Frezon said...

Hi Linda. I write every day, from about 10 am til 5pm. Some of that is organizing, blogging and managing work--and talking on the phone, too. I love every minute of it. About winter into spring, I would say that I slosh into it, because I'm always moving (a bit too fast) on that slippery, slushy snow trying to hurry my way into spring. Anxiously awaiting that crocus to push up.

Lynn said...

I'm probably one of the few that wants winter to last longer :-) Not that I like the cold all that much, but I have too many winter projects that are not finished!

Julia Gordon-Bramer said...

Send me your story!

And while I don't agree with Lynn at all about keeping winter here a bit longer, I do understand not getting things done. I had such a long To-Do list for this winter, and have accomplished almost none of it. Sigh.