Why are we here? I mean, have you really ever thought about it? Not in a passing way, like what you are going to get at the grocery store tonight, but in a deep earth-shattering way?
I have been thinking about it and I have this feeling that we aren’t hapless creations put on the earth to eat, talk, and die. I feel like we were put here for a purpose, to make it better. We are here to change the world.
There seems to be two different camps regarding the writing process. One adheres to a strict regime of rules to achieve success: you must write everyday, you must show your work to others, you must produce X amount of pages in X amount of time. The other camp seems to believe in no rules: do whatever you want, whenever you want.
I assume it was a typo. It should have been “The early bird gets the word.” Why? Because writers who want to be more productive need to start getting up earlier.
Now, before the night owls start hooting at me, let me make my case—a very unscientific and highly personal one.
I recently visited with a new writer over coffee. She confessed, almost with shame, “I’ve written on and off for years. Well, sort of…now I’m really trying to get serious about my novel, but I keep quitting. It’s really frustrating. How do you ummm,” she looked away, then back at me again, “How do you fight fear?”
That’s a great question, and the answer is…
The smell of incense is thick and heady, mingling with the hours-old scent of burnt toast. Outside, it’s quiet except for the shrill yap of a dog or the rogue shriek of a child’s laugh. Inside, it’s cold – numb fingers tapping away at smooth, overused keys. The aftertaste of coffee lingers in my mouth, simultaneously bitter and sweet.
What did you notice about this paragraph?
