“Beck? Are you almost done?” Mickey calls me for the second time, ready to watch our show.
“I’m writing” I call back.
Writing? In the shower? Yep.
I do my best “thinking up ideas” & writing them down when I am in the shower or when I am lying in bed at night, or or when I am taking a jog around the neighborhood. I do my best writing when I am waiting in the carpool line for twenty minutes because I arrived too early and school isn’t out yet.
It is when I am at my desk or the kitchen table, sitting down with my laptop, ready to write, that I have the hardest time.
I think it boils down to the fact that when I am in these places or doing these things, I am alone. With four kids, that moment is rare. When I am alone, I have time to think back on my day, to wish I had done things differently and to appreciate the moments that I did right. I think about what we will do tomorrow and what I wish we had done today. These are the moments when the true writer comes out.
When we are trying to write and writing is our job, it becomes such a task. We just sit there, waiting for ideas to come, but they don’t.
WHAT I DO NOW:
… Now, I bring my laptop with me when I am going anywhere. I take it in my purse and if I find myself in a situation where I have 20-30 minutes alone, I’ll write. Usually I will have an idea from driving (Ideas come when I listen to music in the car, too).
… Now I keep this shower notebook in the shower and write down my ideas right then & there.
… Now I keep little paper notebooks around the house, in the car, etc… (here is a pack of 24), so I can quickly write something when I need to. (I tape a pen on a string to the side of each one).
TRY THIS:
The next time that you are stumped for an idea, try taking a shower or taking a walk. Try reading a book or listening to the radio. Try sitting on your back porch swing or cleaning your kitchen. What ideas do you get? Hurry!! Write them down. ♥
Where do you write? When are you the most inspired?
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