The Secret Life of a Writer

My favorite time of day has arrived. When all other work has been accomplished and the only thing that separates me from my series is a brief walk after lunch. The peanut-butter and jelly sandwich I had been craving simply did not stand up to the level of greatness I had expected. It was just as well.

Without delay, I scramble outside, dressed for comfort in sweatpants, out to impress no one. I find it helpful to clear my mind before writing and the warm, spring day with the scent of blossoms in the air has a special way of invigorating my drive to create. The walk becomes a blur as every focused thought that passes through my mind is in some way, even if remotely, related to the upcoming writing session.

Rounding the corner back home, I hurry down the asphalt to get a jump on my afternoon’s work. Sitting in a comfortable chair, my computer buzzes with comparable excitement to my own; I open the proper files and begin. Practically sucked into the screen and transported to another world, I review the text as if I was not its creator. I allow questions and predictions to flow freely as I would during any reading.

The slope of reading is smooth and fast, propelling me through the story at breakneck speeds, devouring each sentence and every minute hint of things to come. And then, as if a stop sign rises in my path, I hit a snag. An error. A hole. Something I can fix. It takes several reviews of the passage to collect my thoughts and adjust to fix the problem. Like a seamstress mending a tear, I sew together the plot, covering the prior mistake and leaving it freshly pressed.

Larger troubles loom on the page, but it’s nothing to deter me. The decision to remove a piece or add to it is calculated and precise. There’s no room for waffling here. As much time as I need is easily taken. The minutes disappear on the clock while I construct a patch for the clunky cog in my grand machine. My attention to detail and absorption in the page can’t be broken until I have claimed victory. It may be time consuming and labor intensive, but the final product, a shiny, unblemished story is worth every minute.