What It Looks Like When I Write

One lovely morning this summer, I used a little breakfast time to work on a newsletter with David. I was in Greece and he was home in Canada. This is pretty normal for us. Being writers, and having devices, offers us the opportunity to travel and work, which I love very much.

My breakfast companions, Maria and Cathy, got very quiet. Their conversations turned to whispers, and then they apologized for even talking.

I laughed and told them that I don’t need anything special to work. I really don’t. I let them know that they could carry on chatting and even ask questions.

“Guys, guys! It’s all good. I teach, remember. I can work in a noisy environment.”

I hoped that I lightened the mood. Maria confessed that she felt anxious when she watched me write.

“Anxious? Really? Why?”

She wasn’t sure why. Maybe she felt anxiety when she needed to write. Maybe she needed quiet, or focus or something different than what I need.

I assured her

I don’t feel anxious when I write at all. Hitting the keys is like playing piano. Sometimes it sounds nice (the words come easily), and other times it sounds like junk (the words don’t work quite like I’d like them to). But I always put something down. In my life, I have had a lot of stress around a lot of things, but never writing because I know that I can always go back and change anything that needs adjusting.

Other creative folks

Watching a dancer move and choreograph dance is beautiful. Musicians sitting with their instrument or singing show all sorts of emotion through facial expression. Actors are the visual of a story. Even painters have a dynamic experience when pushing paint across a canvas or sculpting something.

Writers, however, are essentially static. They sit in one spot and type or write. Maybe they pace until they work through a mental problem. But mostly, they sit in one place. They are boring to watch.

I’m boring to watch.

I sit in one place. And, mostly, I do not have an audience or an alcoholic beverage. I may have a snack, but the entire act of writing is not dynamic and, in my opinion, is not interesting to look at.

But what goes on in my brain while I’m writing—now that’s interesting.

Conveying that to my readers and having their brains join in on the fun—that is the ultimate party.

So, sorry for the boring photo of me just sitting there, in front of my computer, tapping keys and editing, but that is what it looks like.

As always, thank you for reading, Lovelies