As you may know I love to write. Earlier this week I arrived to work early and decided to use the time to sit and scribble some thoughts down about writing. My thinking wasn't a revelation, nor would it save the world, but it reminded me the simplest activities can hold the greatest enjoyment.
Now I have always enjoyed writing, but reading takes first prize when I choose between the two. Being a daydreamer extraordinaire it is easy for me to be transported to another world when I read a good book. For this reason it is a form of escape that is both easy and cheap. I don't need to speak to anyone, I don't need to do anything but use my eyes and let my mind do the rest. I love reading so much that I often have two or three books on the go at the same time. Depending on my state of mind and fatigue will determine what I read. If I'm travelling somewhere during the day I will read a non-fiction book, as my brain has the energy to absorb it. When my working day is over, I like nothing better than to turn the pages of a good fiction book and let my minder wander.
When it comes to my writing I am frequently eclipsed by the material that I peruse. I love Hemingway not just because he was an alcoholic and a master writer, but because he produced classics that were so descriptive I could picture myself there in the moment. Now I am reading one of Alexandre Dumas's books, The Count of Monte Cristo. I will read a classic or a new hit and marvel in the ease with which they flow. Naturally a great deal of time and effort has been expended by a great many people before the book reaches the reader. But when you read and enjoy these amazing books you can't help but wish you could emulate them. It most certainly would be a pipe dream with my current writing, but it doesn't stop me trying. My only problem is overcoming my daydreaming mind long enough to make use of my free time and write something coherent yet creative.
As my major goal requires efforts of concentration and consistency that only an author can commit I am starting off small. As I wrote the other day I am trying to write everyday. My hope was to do an hour a day, but perhaps half an hour is more realistic. Either way I can only start towards improving my writing (and concentration) through regular practice. These posts are all part of that and go hand in hand with my short story writing in an effort to write in a structured way. Good god! Structure? Consistency? Commitment? What is becoming of me? I must be getting old ;)
My ultimate aspiration would be to write one piece, which one person in the world smiled at and enjoyed. One piece which enabled that reader to see all the characters and settings as if they knew those people and places first hand. A book that made one person want to read more and write a little. Right now that seems like the hardest task in the world, but an enjoyable journey none the less.
T :)
No comments:
Post a Comment