Saturday, February 05, 2011

Top 10 Ways That Writing Is Like Driving in a Snowstorm

(or, Ode to the Snowpocalypse That Wasn't)



10. Some days you just don't want to do it.
9. Staring at that much white (be it blizzard or blank page) can give you
a headache.
8. It can be terrifying. See numbers 4 and 3 below.
7. It can also be exhilirating! (Come on, admit it: fishtailing is fun!)
6. It takes serious focus. Note: coffee may help. Then again, coffee may spill, causing treacherous conditions (since, unfortunately, neither gearshifs nor laptops have the ability to appreciate a fine Guatemalan blend).
5. Your progress may seem small in proportion to how much time you spent at it.
4. It's hard not to notice others on your same path--especially the ones who whiz by you even without 4 wheel drive. See you in the ditch, bub.
3. Sometimes you can't see where you're going.
2. It is possible for the experts to be wrong about how it will all turn out.
1. Though success may be due in some part to innate talent, it's mostly due to much practice and a willingness to learn from your mistakes.

6 comments:

Tanya Reimer said...

Love this post! Made my day.

Anonymous said...

Originally from Boston. Now writing in Los Angeles. I hear you on all fronts!

Shelly said...

Now following...loved it!

Regina said...

Great post. I love a good top ten like that.

Annette Gendler said...

Very good, Betsy! I wrote a similar post on how writing is like walking in the snow.

The Moviegoer said...

Betsy. Very nice - I like the list. Your #6 reminded me of a calendar that this nice couple at our library put together, full of quotes, literary and otherwise. I thought you would appreciate this one from Balzac: "Coffee falls into the stomach...ideas begin to move, things remembered arrive at a full gallop...the shafts of wit start up like sharpshooters, similies arise, the paper is covered with ink. Coffee is your ally and writing ceases to be a struggle."

If Balzac were alive today, I like to think he would also be a Diet Coke fiend, but maybe that's just me.

Keep writing,
Danny