On Writing & Storytelling: A Writer’s Rest Day & More Arrows for My Quiver

“Being a writer is a very peculiar sort of a job: it’s always you versus a blank sheet of paper (or a blank screen) and quite often the blank piece of paper wins.” ― Neil Gaiman

It’s late afternoon here in lovely Lithia, Florida, on Saturday, March 25, 2023. Since it’s the weekend, and since I’m not at the point where I can declare, “Hey, I’m starting that new story today,” I decided to change my daily routine, relax for a while, and not obsess over writing for a change. This went not just for “the new story,” but also this blog – I do tend to stick like a lamprey onto my daily routine, after all – so I turned off the computer, went out to the family room, and watched three episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – Season One on the big TV there.

I had an enjoyable time watching the show – which is a prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series (1966-1969) that chronicles the voyages of the original USS Enterprise during the five-year mission under the command of Capt. Christopher Pike (Anson Mount). It’s well-written, has great production values, and its more episodic approach to storytelling gives Strange New Worlds a vibe that’s a throwback to both TOS and its 1987-1994 follow-on series, Star Trek: The Next Generation.

It felt odd, watching TV for three hours rather than sitting here at my desk writing, but I must admit, I needed the rest. After spending an entire week grappling with the “fixes” to Reunion: A Story, and then trying (with some success) to get folks to buy the new revised edition, I’m tired.

I’m more tired mentally than physically, although (if the truth must be told) I am not doing my body and mind any favors by sitting at my desk for hours a day without going out for walks, socializing (a near-impossibility here because of my housemates’ busier schedules and my lack of friends in the Tampa Bay area), or even relaxing with a book for more than 20 minutes in one sitting.)

“Write the kind of story you would like to read. People will give you all sorts of advice about writing, but if you are not writing something you like, no one else will like it either.”― Meg Cabot

I also decided to add a few more arrows for my writer’s quiver – a couple of reference works from the Writers Helping Writers series by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi. I had earned some Kindle credits from previous purchases that would otherwise expire next month, so I got the e-book editions of The Occupation Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Jobs, Vocations, and Careers and The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces.

I would have preferred the paperback editions, but they’re more than twice as expensive, plus I’ll be moving at some point in the not-so-distant future, and I’m trying to avoid getting hard-copy editions of books because I’m running out of space here, plus that’s more stuff to pack (and worry about)! So, I went with the more practical – and cheaper Kindle edition since I do need them (especially The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces).

So, Dear Reader, this is what my Saturday in late March of 2023 has been like so far. I – as usual – don’t have any social plans (I have no one to make plans with, so…), and I should carve more time out of my daily routine to read. Reading, and reading often, is a huge part of the writing process, and I don’t do enough of it here even though I own many, many books – some of which I’ve either started but not finished or bought, browsed through quickly, then put away on the bookshelves in what, for now, is my room.

(It seems that once I start a routine, I hang on to it with a death grip and don’t easily let go, even though I know that doing that is not necessarily a good thing.)

Since I don’t have much else to share with you today, this is where you and I must part company, Dear Reader. So, until next time, stay safe and healthy, and I’ll catch you on the sunny side of things.