Time to Think

Over this past week I have managed to carve out time to write. Like for many writers that is not just time sitting in front of the computer with my fingers flying over the keys, but time in my head. My writer’s brain likes quiet. Some mundane, no-brain tasks are fine, but nothing too engaging. It always amazes me how quickly I can dive into the writing world, no coaxing needed.

When I keep myself focused on the real world, I always have anxiety that the door will be shut, that the imagination needed to leap into that other realm will have dried up or shifted to somewhere else. Thankfully that has never happened to me, but it has to others.

I plan, I revel, then I wander to the computer. Hours later I go looking for some tea or a bottle of water. Words have been written, but only time will tell if they are any good. I go back and write some more. When I finally stop, save my work, rejoin the real world, I am filled with satisfaction. It almost doesn’t matter if the writing is good, because I feel exhausted and renewed.

I have so many ideas to write on, half formed stories in my head. Those that might be built on, those that should never see the light of day. The worlds I have created, the characters I have built all swirl in the imaginary landscape. Picking and choosing what to focus on is half the joy. Then building the foundation, weaving in a side story, or binding characters with shared history or place. It is all thrilling, tedious, frustrating, and joyful. My secret addiction that can be put off for a better time and place, but sits and waits for me.

So pick up a story, dive into a book, and know that you are exploring one aspect of a writers mind. Read that story and let the page disappear, and live in that moment. Read to a happy place!