While I'm At It Here's Another Useful True Thing That Nevertheless Drives Me Nuts

I kid you not.  It doesn't make sense.  It, c'mon, shouldn't make any difference but it does.

For me, twice now so it isn't a rule yet but, the difference was so notable I can't afford to ignore it next time.

When I got to a certain point in writing the story, when I have rigorously zoned in on the challenge and outcome and gotten rid of some of the extraneous but lovable stuff, when I have passed the initial free flowing writing and am in the first stage of polishing, it has made a real creative and productive difference for me to switch from keyboard to ballpoint.

Probably someone somewhere can identify the neurological reasons for this and, as a matter of fact, I have read how-to articles where the author states a preference for either keyboard or handwriting, but have not encountered the possibility of switching from one to the other as a potential solution to overcome certain kinds of barriers.

What kinds I'm not sure yet.  The only indicative symptom I can describe is a chronic desire to scream.

Let me know your thoughts.

Reflectus Interruptus

I wanted to post Chapter 4 of Dr. Bobby Greenleaf Lovejoy much sooner even than today.  What I can tell you, besides "oops sorry", is that today's Reflectus Interruptus results from my struggle completing that next episode.

I'm working on it I promise.

OK.  In the meantime, here is the "interruptus" part of today's post.

My original intention in sharing this blog with you remains the same:  to describe my journey in real time so other new and renewing writers can tap into share my thoughts and feelings as they occur.   And to remind seasoned writers what it was like at the beginning so they can encourage and support their less experienced colleagues.

Goodness knows the basket out there is full of answers written by experts promoting their own neat bundles of advice.  In fact, I'm guessing more people are generating revenue by "How To Write" books and articles than there are writers being paid for actually writing short stories, novels, poems, memoirs and so forth.  I have finally come to the rather colourful conclusion that "How to Write a Book" is Amazon's red light district.

Here is the "reflectus" part.  

My goal for Bob's Write from the Start has been and is now to regularly produce, say once or twice a week, a post describing my steady frustrations or progress toward developing into a skilled productive writer myself. "Frustrations" are happening.  "Progress" is happening. "Regular" is definitely not happening.  

My thoughts, barriers, frustrations, hopes and insights all pop up in fits and starts.  There are half-formed, and sometimes half-baked, obsessions I often can't express, explain, or abandon.

So, until I can get my thoughts somewhat clear, I can't post another chapter.

I share this with you not only to account for my ongoing pattern of blogging truancy, but to let you know that, besides you, there is at least one other striving writer in the universe who shares, and is sometimes mystified by, this dyssynchronous experience.

In other words, you are unique, but you are not alone.