Thursday, July 10, 2008

Writing is Easy

My soon to be eleven year old was getting ready to spend the night with a friend. My sixteen year old is out of the state for a couple of days. To me, this means uninterrupted writing time. My younger son, said, "Why can't you write anytime? It's easy. All you do is sit down and write the words." Wow. Out of the mouth of babes. If only it WAS that easy.

Sure, we do have to 'just sit down and write the words', but there is so much more involved. I lost my son's attention when I started explaining about plot lines, and the story making sense, then there's marketing, and selling to publishers, etc. It's way more than just sitting down and putting words on paper.

The words have to be right. They have to tell a story that a reader is interested in getting into. Your characters need to be real and interesting. Your setting must draw the reader in. Oh, how I wish it were as simple as a child thinks it is. Then, there's the mechanics of writing. Oh, boy!

1 comment:

Rita Gerlach said...

It's a lot of work, writing, and takes commitment. It is bitter-sweet. We are filled with joy when a book comes together. Excitement when the words flow. At the same time, we are pulling out our hair, riding a roller coaster of frustration and disappointment when the rejection letters come in.

But we are writers. And writing we must do no matter how frustrating or disappointing it can be. Writing is a joy. The business side...I don't enjoy.