lesson

A wonderful thing happened today.

This morning, around 5, I had a dream that woke me up. I laid there for a bit, and then I saw how it could be a story.

I've been rereading that wonderful Stephen King classic On Writing, and I have been mulling over his suggestion to let fly on the first draft and not edit at all. Deciding to take this to heart, I grabbed my iPad, keyboard, and lap desk (all next to the bed) and let fly. Rather than look at what I was writing, I turned my screen away from me and focused on the story I was telling rather than the words. A whole damn draft came out of me before I quit. Beginning to end.

Then a terrible thing happened.

My keyboard hadn't been turned on. No words on screen. Sad face. Actually, really pissed off face.

Still, the lesson is there: writing finished draft and telling a story are two different things. You don't bring a baby into the world as an adult; you don't bring a piece of writing complete into the world either.  It takes time and learning what the thing is and what it needs to reach potential. But first it needs to come out.

Anyway, I guess I'm going to be experimenting with this further.

Also: I'm still here.

:-)