Sometimes the life of a writer is very visible. We lead workshops, host writers’ groups, and hold book signings.
What you don’t see is the actual writing, which takes place behind the scenes.
Writing is a solitary activity. It is for me, anyway. I have noticed during this pandemic that I am having trouble writing. (I had two interruptions during the time it took me to write that previous sentence.) Even when my thought process is not interrupted, I have trouble concentrating because my mind anticipates that I might be interrupted.
Writing is a lot like sleeping or swimming. When you sleep, you only dream at a certain level of sleep. Many years ago, I worked the midnight shift in a lab while I was also studying for a master’s in chemistry and earning my black belt in tae kwon do. Trying to sleep during the day in a noisy apartment complex, I seldom got into a good deep sleep. I didn’t dream for a year.
When I write, I think. I think a lot: deep, insightful thoughts. It might look to people as if I am daydreaming. Sometimes I am. In this picture I was staring at a barge going down the Ohio River. I actually was thinking about the book I was working on.
Picture you need to swim across the Ohio. (I don’t recommend it, but this is just an analogy.) If your goal is to swim the entire distance, and someone comes and plucks you out of the water, then you have to go back to the bank and start over. That’s how writing is like swimming. Sometimes you have to restart your thoughts. That can be annoying, so sometimes I won’t write if other people are around.
What I can do, however, if I anticipate interruptions, is research. Right now I am gathering information for my next nonfiction book, and I am looking up facts for the novel I am finishing and a friend’s memoir, which I am editing. Even in fiction you need to check your facts: When did cell phones become common? When were wheel chairs invented? How do you spell the transliteration of “grandpa” in Chinese? Yes, these are all from works in progress.
So if your significant other asks why you’re spending so much time playing solitaire on the computer, don’t tell him or her that it is wishful thinking. Just say you’re writing.
wendy, you are so right! I have the same issues with interruptions. And yes, daydreaming can be such fertile ground for plot twists.