The Tears and Triumphs of a New Author - Chapter 6

The Tears and Triumphs of a New Author

Chapter 6

I have always been active and always had something in my life to challenge and excite me, but with retirement came boredom. This may sound dumb to some, but I can only fish so much.
Once I decided to write the book and made the commitment to my wife and myself, an amazing transformation occurred.
It was as if my brain, which had been idling on cruise control at 30 miles an hour, was suddenly switched into turbo and was blazing along at 90.
I have always had difficulty sitting still for long periods of time. In my real estate career, I worked extensively on the computer, but only in short bursts.
Once I began writing, I could not pry my butt off the chair. As the story line formed in my mind, I could not shut it off. It just kept flowing and flowing. I sat for hours at a time and Peg had to beg me to stop for food.
I would wake up in the middle of the night for a potty break and instead of going back to sleep, my imagination would kick in. I would pick up the story from where I left off and lay awake composing in my head. Then I would be afraid that if I went back to sleep, I would lose it, so I spent many 2-3 A.M. sessions, pecking away at the computer.
Soon this nocturnal intermission infected my wife as well. I would be lying in the dark, wide-awake, my brain churning away and I would hear “You awake?” from the other side of the bed. “I’ve got an idea for Walt.” Then we would both be up.
These middle-of-the-night sessions were not the only adjustments to my normal routine. I would typically sleep until 7:30, give or take a few minutes. I now awoke between 5:30 and 6:00 A.M. and couldn’t wait to get breakfast over with so I could start writing again.
Although my story seemed to flow freely most of the time, once in awhile I got stuck. I guess it’s called “writer’s block”. I would come to a point where the next sequence of events just wouldn’t come.
I found it was better to just walk away. I would get on my riding mower or tractor and mow for an hour or two and by the time I finished, I knew where I needed to go.
Many times I found that the reason for being stuck was that I was going in the wrong direction. I backed up and re-wrote the sequence and when I was on the right track, the words began flowing again.
What a process!
I absolutely loved writing. The creative juices began to flow and I got that warm fuzzy feeling as I saw my ideas come to life on the page.
It was even more satisfying to hear my wife giggle as she read the next chapter.