The Big Blush

Watching others embarrass themselves is painful.  I could not even stand to watch “I Love Lucy” reruns when I was growing up.  I will still fast forward through scenes in movies that include emotional embarrassment of a main character.  I am trying to think of what it is exactly that embarrasses me.  

In some ways, I have structured my life to avoid feeling embarrassed.  I like knowing all of the information, all of the rules, and all of issues going into a situation so I am never caught off guard.  I always have an excuse, even for other people.  

I worry that this will affect my writing.  What if I never put any characters into embarrassing situations?  Life is awkward and embarrassing sometimes.  My stories might lack passion.

A Day Star

I am not a night owl or an early bird.  I guess I am more of a middle of the day kind of person.  

This is my ideal writing day:

With my first cup of coffee, I check my email
I read the news
I surf the web a bit
Second cup of coffee, I write for a while, not stopping until I reach a word number goal or a time goal, which is usually lower than what I need for the day, but don’t worry, I have lots of time
I watch tv or read a book
Get caught, so I reheat my coffee which has gotten cold and I go back to writing, try to stay on task but I have hours yet
Read or watch some more
Surf the net 
Read about writing, feel inspired
Write, realize that it is getting late and really buckle down

Admittedly, its rare I have a whole day for nothing but writing, but it is great when I do.

 

Why Fiction?

When I was young, I could never decide what kind of career I wanted to pursue.  There were so many fascinating options out there.  I wanted to be an archaeologist, an artist, a park ranger, an actor, a clothing designer, or even an accountant.  

But the thing I loved most of all was reading.  Fiction is the one place where anything is possible.  It was that realization that made me want to be a writer.  

With fiction, I could have any career that interested me.  I could be an archaeologist searching for a hidden Anasazi ruin.  I could be a bohemian artist living in Greenwich Village.  I could be park ranger in any national park that I wanted.  I could be a famous actor that designs clothes.  I could even be an accountant.  

How fun is that?