This Writing Life

 

Ernest Hemingway had it right when he said "There is nothing much to writing. All you do is sit down at the typewriter and bleed."

My husband has also observed that I do much more "writing" when I'm not actually sitting at the computer. At odd moments while eating or driving the car or cleaning the bathroom, ideas that eventually go into making up my next novel spring up like dandelions and I need to write them down before they go away. Those little scribblings give me my jumping off point so that I leap into writing a scene as opposed to leaping off the nearest ten-story building. It's not easy to sit down at the computer and bleed.

So I am now feeling my way into working on a series. I had never meant to write one. I've always done stand-alone novels and coming up with new stories for the same characters is both easier (the story universe is already in place) and harder (now what do I want them to do?) My little struggles make me wonder what goes on in the head of someone like George R. R. Martin, who can write entire reams about his universe and not show even the slightest sign of drying up. How does he do that?

And then there was this blog thing. Back when I  submitted and sold my very first e-published story, Hunting Spirits, my editor said that I should expand my cyber-presence by starting a blog. Okay. A weekly blog. That sounded like a good idea. Not that difficult. HA! Trying to meet a weekly blog deadline with, at first, writing, school, and a grandson, and now with writing, jobs, and a grandson, is quite the challenge. I'm not always able to pick up the gauntlet that circumstances have tossed into my path. Not to mention slapping me across the face with it first.

But I keep trying.

So maybe what I'll start doing, as I once did, is write a list of possible blog subjects to discuss on a weekly basis. I want a blog entitled "Ubiquitous Ghosts" to live up to that title. And I do love scary stories.

So okay. I'll start working on that list and see if I can get better at this weekly appointment. Especially since my books keep advertising this site.

Thanks for your patience and for reading my work. I'll try to keep up my end of the bargain, too. But damn, that Hemingway sure knew what he was talking about.