An Invisible Army

Writing, by it’s very nature, is a solitary occupation, especially for a novelist.

The picture at the left is a good example of my writing time lately. I’m a hard-copy freak and will print out pages I’ve written, make correction, additions, deletions on the paper, then make the changes on the document on my computer.

Yes, writing can be lonely. But the truth is, we’re never alone!

Every writer has a small, invisible army behind her. Editors, friends, beta-readers, critique partners, the Internet—for research—how-to books on the craft of writing, fellow author blogs, not to mention all the social media we use for marketing what we write.

But in the end, WE’RE the ones charged with the actual writing.

I find it hard to turn off my infernal, internal editor. Banishment, chains and lock don’t work. Not for me, anyway. She’s constantly on my shoulder, watching, criticizing, spell-checking, and will halt my forward motion by stopping dead to find just the right word or phrase, before allowing me to continue. You see, she’s a pain-in-the-neck perfectionist.

Sigh

On the other hand, while we try to isolate ourselves during our writing time, outside distractions can bring our progress to a screeching halt. Life happens. WE get sick. Someone in the family needs our immediate attention. Oh, yeah, there’s that book I need to finish reading because I promised to post a review. A blog to write. Bills to pay. Laundry. Preparing meals. Grocery shopping. Ugh.

(I really miss Von’s—a west coast grocery chain—and their home-delivery I had in Las Vegas. Go online, place my order, and have it delivered the next day within a specified two-hour window.)

Can I sigh again?