Write Every Day

I think Stephen King said that if you want to do something well you have to do it every day. And he was probably talking about writing since that's what he does. Stephen King is one of my favorite authors and he does write every single day. He never takes a day off.  Not for holidays or loved ones. And I find that kind of insane. I mean.... everybody deserves a break, right? Maybe hard work shouldn't be rewarded with breaks. I dunno. I'm not a successful writer.

Anyways... my point was, I should write every day. I used to write a lot. I used to belong to a community solely dedicated to writing and I had a lot of fun with it. Some ancient, no longer in existence, website called Bolt.com. I used to post stories and poems and people would leave comments, and they were generally helpful and useful. I think this must have been before the days of the common internet troll. Either way, that website doesn't exist any more, and I haven't found another that I like nearly as much.

When I write STORIES (as opposed to blog posts) I prefer to use pen and paper. I'm not sure why. It's slow, and tedious, and my brain moves much more quickly then my pen, but I like it. It's what I've done for years and years, and probably what I will continue to do. Forever. So I think I will get a notepad I can keep in my purse so I can write every day. Whenever the mood strikes!

I'm thinking of making another blog page just for short stories or poems. So I can blog on the main page about writing, and do all the writing on another page. Seems silly.  I've also had apprehensions about putting ANY of my stories on the internet, because.... you know.... it's the internet. Nothing good can come of that. So I dunno if I will ever post my actual stories here. You guys just get to come along for the ride and read about my experiences...... That also seems silly.

I can't fix everything that you destroy!

We were sitting at dinner and I was playing a joke on my husband, but my daughter wouldn't play along and ruined it and this line popped into my head:

I can't fix everything that you destroy!

And this needs to happen now. Some story needs to evolve from this one line. A short story. But something. Maybe later tonight. Right now the fam and I are on our way to a Halloween dance. 

But this small event also reminds me that I want to start doing some writing exercises. I need to get back into the swing of writing. I feel rusty. I'm pretty sure some parts of my writer's brain are starting to rust over. I can feel it. 

So, if anyone out there has some good websites for writing prompts or exercises please let me know! I'm all ears. Or, web comment boxes...... just tell me. Let's leave it at that. :)

What do you want to be when you grow up?

The other day I was at work making sandwiches because that's what I do for a living, and thinking about the conversation my daughter and I had on the way to school that morning. She had announced that she wants to be a police woman some day and I had said, "Oh that's what you want to be when you grow up?" As I was making sandwiches I thought about myself as a kid and wondered if anyone had ever asked me that.

I don't remember any specific times I was asked, but every kid gets asked what they want to be, and my answer must have been "a writer". I've always loved writing. But no, no one ever asks their kids, "How do you want to make money to support yourself when you grow up?" They say, "What do you want to do??" This little difference leaves the question up for interpretation. So, as a kid, I probably would have answered "I want to tell stories when I grow up."

That's what I did as a kid. I told stories. I wrote them down. I drew them. I dreamed them up. But no matter how I told them, it all came back to just telling it. 

But, I'm grown up (mostly) and I don't tell stories. And I thought, that's really sad. But, do I still want to tell stories??? Yes. Definitely. I still love writing. I love making up stories. I tell my husband stories all the time. So, this blog is to keep me honest, keep me going, find friends and support along the way.... because now that I'm grown up I would like to try to get one of my stories published. And not to make money to support myself, or my family, but to get my story out there! And share it with everyone.

This should be fun. :)