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Friday, January 7, 2011

The Writer, Distracted

So I promised you a post of happy happy. I have the list of happy things. But I'm not feeling happy. Why? Well, the day started off gloomy and I had those diet books at the bookstore to contend with. And the only customers who came in wanted to sell me their beat up paperbacks or were weirdos who talked loudly on their cell phones about their uncomfortable personal problems even while they asked me questions.

CUSTOMER: Do you have any Ambrose Bierce? What? No! I'm talking to the sales lady. I'm looking for this books. Anyway I tried to explain to him why the check bounced but...

And then I had planned on an afternoon of tea and revising but my writing was interrupted several times. And if you are a writer you will know this feeling. You are going to write. You have that noble glow on the inside. That, "I'm going to write good things today and my life will have meaning and purpose."

And then you come to the time when you must sit down and write. You grumble and groan. You sit down and squirm.

Then, AHA! The distraction. You are happy to have it. But then, another distraction. And another. Now for some reason you are in a bad mood. You don't know why. It's so nice to have visitors and phone calls when usually you are the Lonely Writer Whom Everyone and the World Has Forsaken. But now all you want is to be LEFT. ALONE.

Of course the time when we most want to write is when we can't. And that's really just because writing is hard. Well, now my time is running out. The happy post will have to wait.

2 comments:

  1. I sure as hell know that feeling. I'm going to write!...but first I'll read my LJ friends list, and blogger...ok now I am going to write -types 5 words-...ok time for lunch.

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  2. Sigh...at least we all go through it. That's some comfort anyway.

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