The Hardest Thing About Writing.


Patricia Davids here. This month the WARA blog topic is… The Hardest Thing About Writing.

The hardest thing about writing is…writing.




That's it.
 

That's all I've got.




Okay, I can elaborate to increase the word count on this post a little bit.
The hardest thing about writing is actually typing words on a blank page.

For me, dreaming up the story is the fun part. The what if this happened, and why would she do that, and what would he say then? That's fun.

Verbal stories don't have to be spelled correctly. There is no punctuation needed. They can be long or short. They don't have to come in somewhere between 55,000 and 60,000 words. I love the seeds of a story. I don't like planting, weeding, watering, fertilizing, picking, cooking, canning and putting a pretty label on it. In other words, I don't like the work.

But a tomato seed will never become a delicious bowl of tangy salsa unless all the work gets done. It is, at best, only the promise of a good thing.

So, like any devoted gardener, I put in the work so that others may enjoy the bounty of my labors.

In my latest book the seed was, how could I a write an Amish story like You've Got Mail?
The salsa is, Plain Admirer. Love is only a letter away.
 
In case you couldn't guess from my blog, I'm not into vegetable gardening. I don't like to plant, weed, water, fertilize, pick, cook, can. I enjoy growing flowers. They take only half the work. Plant, weed, water, fertilize, done! Enjoy.
I wish the weather would warm up so I could go dig in the dirt.

What are your garden plans this summer. Veggies, flowers, stories, or all three?

 

6 comments:

Frances Fowlkes said...

I LOVE this post, Pat! Especially, since so very true. The hardest part is actually doing the work. Which, incidentally, I need to be doing now. ;) Thanks for the smile and reminder this morning!

Pat Davids said...

Hi Fran, it's so nice to hear from you. I hope your writing is going well. Can't wait to buy a book by you. I just know I'll get to one day.

Sharon N said...

Hi Pat:
Yes, without sitting in chair and typing, there wouldn't be a fabulous book to share to the reader. Great advice for all.
I like your website.
Sharon.

Joan Vincent said...

I pray there is a book in my summer--a completed book. As one of the presenters at a session at the RT Booklovers Convention said, "Write the *#$ book. If you've been working on it more than a year, finish it or give it up." (Congrats on your Readers Award there, Pat!)
I love a garden and flowers and while my husband is putting in a garden and I'm trying to weed flower beds we're putting our house on the market soon. I see lots of boxes in my summer too!

Joan Vincent said...

I pray there is a book in my summer--a completed book. As one of the presenters at a session at the RT Booklovers Convention said, "Write the *#$ book. If you've been working on it more than a year, finish it or give it up." (Congrats on your Readers Award there, Pat!)
I love a garden and flowers and while my husband is putting in a garden and I'm trying to weed flower beds we're putting our house on the market soon. I see lots of boxes in my summer too!

Penny Rader said...

Love is only a letter away. Love this, Pat. I also get a kick out of how you open your posts.