Another Dilemma of Writing

Yesterday I mentioned my biggest challenge these days to writing but there’s also another dilemma . . .

Clutter.

No matter where I park myself and my laptop, it seems that there’s some kind of clutter. Now, I know that’s going to conjure up images that my house is messy and/or crammed full of junk, but no – it isn’t, I assure you. The only places that seem to be cluttered are those places in which I like to write.

Ha! Ok – that’s probably going to lead to other assumptions, huh? Let me see if I can make this more clear without sticking my foot in my mouth again -

Um – well, I can’t think of a way to do that, I guess. Hmm . . . well, on to the situation. Yeah . . .

So anyway – the thing is, my desk is always full of stuff. Books, papers, kids stuff that they seem to deposit everywhere else but their own room. Oh, and a box of kleenex and of course there’s always things like pens, pencils, notebooks and stuff like that. Seems like there’s never any place left for me and computer!

And the worst part – I’m a NEAT FREAK!! And stuff everywhere drives me batty. Just batty.

Like dishes and crumbs and small appliances all over the kitchen counters. And laundry that seems to multiply when left in the hamper longer than 10 minutes. Or the weeds in the garden! Holy sh — muck! I swear, they all multiply faster than bunnies.

So I find it all distracting and before I can sit down to write, I *have* to clean it up. And move it. Or remove it. And sometimes hide it. Or even throw it away. But it has to be taken care of or my concentration level goes down.

Maybe I should just hire a cleaning service like my husband keeps suggesting . . .

Anybody else have this problem? Cluttered work spaces?

Clutter and cold – those make it hard to concentrate. I can concentrate through the kids’ noise, but not the junk. Go figure.

The Dilemma of Writing

Here’s the dilemma -

What I find most difficult is writing on the computer. I’m a paper and pen kinda gal and I find that the ideas and the thoughts and storylines all flow much better, much quicker when I put the pen to the paper.

But . . . it’s hard to write with my arm and hand these days. Holding a writing instrument, even those big fat ones designed for folks with mobility problems don’t help much anymore. There’s just only so much I can do. I’m toying with idea of going back to the doctor and finding out if the surgery they wanted to do 16 years ago would really be beneficial at this point. Back then, I didn’t feel it would be. Perhaps now, though, it’s the sensible thing to do – as much as I hate the idea.

Because I hate the idea of not being able to write even more than that.

So – my husband has encouraged me to have it checked out too. Probably for his own sanity.

In the meantime, I’m going to have to find a way to write that makes as much sense to me as the “natural way” does. The computer, while an excellent tool that I love, just doesn’t seem to be it. It just doesn’t fit my style.

Anyone have any suggestions? What do you think about dictating it into a tape recorder and then transcribing? Has anyone done that before? If so, How did it work? I’m open to any thoughts you all might have so please feel free to post your comments and/or email me directly.

~Annie

Halbert & Vonnegut

The world lost 2 legends this week.

One, known mostly in the copywriting and marketing circle, Gary Halbert, passed away Sunday in his sleep. Known as the Prince of Print and affectionately called the shit weasel, Halbert left a mark on copywriting that won’t be easily filled. His blunt and outspoken style will be greatly missed.

And the second, known the world over, American author Kurt Vonnegut, who wrote such classics as Slaughterhouse-Five and Cat’s Cradle, passed away Wednesday at the age of 84.  According to the Associated Press article, Vonnegut died after suffering brain damage from a fall at his home. You can read the full article -here-.

And to think I actually had visions this morning of sitting down here and writing something of my own work. Even had a whole page of “first lines” running through my head as I awoke.

Well, the world will certainly never be the same . . . but hopefully I’ll have some uninterrupted time this afternoon.

Write On . . .

When do you write? In the morning? Evening? During little snippets of time like when the kids are at soccer practice? Or in traffic to and from work?

Where? Where do you write? The kitchen table? A desk in the corner of the living room? In an office? An office at home? The car? Backyard?

How? And what do you write with? A simple notebook and pen? A gorgeous leather bound volume with a luxurious writing instrument? Do you write with a computer? A laptop? Do you print? Write? Some combination?

Personally, I prefer to write at my desk in my home office with a nice leather journal and one of my Cross or Parker pens. But – I can’t so much do that anymore. My writing sucks! It didn’t used to – I use to have beautiful penmanship, both printing and writing. In recent years, though, the accident I had as a teenager that shattered my elbow has taken it’s toll and more often than not, I can’t even hold a pencil or pen. Even those really thick ones. Nope. Nowadays I have to write with my laptop.

Oh sure, it’s faster. I mean, I can still type 70+ wpm but there’s just something about holding a special pen and writing on beautiful paper . . . something magical, something lovely. And typing just isn’t the same.

Freewriting with a pen and paper is so much more fun! When I freewrite on the computer, well . . . I find I stare at the blank page for what seems like ever.

Is it hard to write while there’s noise going on? Can you drown it out? Or do you need peace and quiet?

I totally prefer peace and quiet! With some music in the background. Or maybe outside on the patio with the warm sun covering me and a nice breeze. That’s the ticket.

But it rarely happens around here!

Usually I have to write with shouting and yelling and computer games blazing and the television blaring. Oh and don’t forget the cats tearing through the house, fussing with one another. And the twentysomethings next door who race up and down the street on their motorcycles. Or the teenagers who use our backyard to get from their house to their friends house across the street.

Who can think with all of that going on??

Usually, I can.

Why Write?

Is it a rhetorical question? I don’t know. I think it could be, though. Because it seems everyone wants to ask it but no one likes to hear the answer. I don’t think anyone (aside from other writers, perhaps) really gets the answer anyway, so I suppose it doesn’t really matter.

But it’s a question I’d like to attempt to answer nonetheless. Not that I think I can answer it for everyone, really – it’s just because I must answer it for myself.

So – why do I write?

I write because it’s in my veins, it’s in my heart. My heart that beats for the written word, the feel of the pencil between my fingers. I write because I can’t NOT do it. I write because the words and the voices in my head will explode if I don’t let them out. Out onto the paper, onto the disk.

I write because I feel free, sitting in my chair at my desk, the pencil or the keyboard at my fingertips – dreaming. Dreaming in worlds, dreaming in color, living on the page, characters taking shape before my eyes.

I write because it is my love. It is my hope. It is my honor, my glory. It is my life.

I am a weaver of words.

Words are my golden thread.

Spinning, fast and furious.

Spinning in my head.

Words come fast.

And they come slow.

Weaving stories and poems.

Weaving as they go.

It’s not a profound answer, by any means but it’s my answer. And for me, well, that’s enough.

. . . to be continued. 

Coffee, Messes and Ripped Tissues

Well, I’ve been kicked out of my office.

Ok – not really kicked out. More like messed out. LOL!

See, my toddler and the kittens got into my office when I was working from my Ikea Poang chair in the living room and between them, made a H-U-G-E mess of things. Papers all over the floor, books knocked off the shelf, even ripped my box of tissues!

And I don’t know about you, but I can’t work with a ripped box of tissues! I mean, how am I going to blow my hose at the sappy parts and dry the tears from eyes? The books on the floor I can handle. But the tissues?? Give me a break!

So – here I am again sitting in the Poang chair, my blanket on my lap and the heat on because guess what else? IT’S HALF SNOWING! And it’s April 2nd! I thought is was Spring! I don’t know. But I sure am getting tired of the weather.

I suppose I could go clean up the office. But the belt on the vacuum broke the other day and we can’t find a new one. We’ve looked at 3 stores already and nothing. My husband is going to stop by the vacuum shop today after work, though, so hopefully they’ll have one. I hate not being able to vacuum! With 4 kids and 3 cats, you can imagine how often we usually vacuum! I’ll probably go in there later today and pick up what I can and get the other computer hooked up. I’ve been putting that off, too. Only because that poor thing is so slow and crippled. But I need some stuff off the harddrive so I’m going to have to do it sooner or later.

Oh and I have to go grocery shopping and run some other errands too. Not looking forward to doing that in this weather. It might have to wait until tomorrow.

You know what sounds good right now? A nice hot cup of coffee, a fire in the fireplace and a good book!

See ya later!