My Writing World

In a perfect, artsy, creative dream world, I'd be sitting in a quaint cottage, overlooking the Cliffs of Moher (yeah, I know there aren't any cottages that overlook such a huge, touristy cliff site, but it's MY perfect world, so it's there, and it's quaint) and it would be lightly misting.  The sea would be a little bit churny (new word!); my husband would be playing in the garden (I KNOW you can't have a garden there, let it go already) with our children, who would be wearing brightly colored raincoats. And, of course, my dog situation would remain the same, as they would slumber peacefully by my feet. 

In this dream writing world, I would also have a personal chef, chauffeur  and two house cleaners (again...my world).

My real writing world is very different. Monday through Friday, I get the children off to school (about an hour), then blog (about half an hour), then work a full day (usually nine hours). Then it's dinner time, then bath and/or bedtime...and then I can sit down to write, starting at about 8:30 or 9:00 at night. Weekends are whenever I can fit it in, but the goal remains the same: I write a certain number of words instead of free-flowing creativity. I like the idea of a muse, but she rarely works my hours, so I'm on my own during the day. But sometimes, she wakes me in the middle of the night. 

It happens more often than I like to admit.

Some people think I'm crazy, but the fact is, I'm a writer, and have been from an early age. The characters I create are real in my head; their lives play out like a movie, and it's my job to write down their thoughts and action; if I don't, they become more insistent. When I was 10, I remember getting so angry with myself because it felt like I would append every thought I had with "she said" or "she exclaimed haughtily." I couldn't control it - much like, if I wake in the middle of the night with a sudden resolution to chapter 14, I have to get it down. I don't write as fast as I type, and my thoughts go really fast when I'm in the zone, so I type. Which means I have to leave my bed, flip the computer on, and go.

My favorite time to write would distract me. I'd daydream, lollygag, and procrastinate. My real writing world pushes me to focus, plan, and finish. So I'll keep my reality, enjoy every minute, and save my dream for vacation.

You never know...someone might build a quaint cottage directly on the Cliffs of Moher, put a (fenced) garden in, and rent it for a reasonable weekly rate. Stranger things have happened!