Writing When I’m Not Writing
Photo by Alex Skube on Unsplash
I holed up in my home office yesterday to work on a short story to submit to Malice Domestic’s upcoming anthology. Those of you who know me are aware that I write novels and only rarely dip my toes into short stories. Truthfully, I’m in awe of short fiction writers who can pack so much punch into so little space!
But I decided to give short story writing another try because… well, the theme of this anthology is “Mystery Most Senior,” and as a member of that particular demographic, I have lots of material. My membership in a senior community chorus gave me the idea of setting my story in a chorale for those 55 and older. As with any performing ensemble, rivalries and intrigue abound. No murderous plots that I know of, but hey, it’s fun to imagine them!
At any rate, when I finally emerged from my office yesterday, I announced to my husband that I had a draft (admittedly, a very rough draft) of my story.
He was shocked, accustomed to my announcement that I had a completed draft of my novels after months of work—not one day! “How in the world did you do that?” he asked.
I realized that I’d been working on this story for weeks, not actually writing it, but thinking about it. Thus, the glazed look on my face when I’ve zoned out of a newscast I’ve been listening to or gotten the flash of an idea while doing something mindless, like taking a shower or making the bed.
As much as I’m a strong believer in regular “butt-in-chair” sessions to be productive as a writer, the truth is that we writers are also writing when we’re not writing.
All we ask for is some grace when you note that glazed look on our faces. Believe it or not, we’re working!