The Spirit is Willing, but …

By now, you can probably tell that I like to write. Whether I am any good at it, is something for each of you to decide. I never thought of writing anything until my 50s and then I found the passion. My biggest problem with writing is consistency … writing every day. When I am in the zone, I find it easy to write for hours. Unfortunately, my discipline began to wane a couple of years ago and I found myself writing less frequently. Once I stopped writing every day, the stories (my imagination) began to dry up. Where I once found it easy to "get into character," I now struggle with it (regaining that sense of being … the character's personality).

Several years ago, I finished my book (a fantasy story) and edited it once. It now sits in my office closet because it needs another edit and I just lost interest. Writing a story is the easy part. Editing your story is hard work requiring a lot of patience and a cutthroat attitude. I find it difficult to edit my own stories. I often tend to see what I thought I wrote and not what I actually wrote.

I published several short stories in the "The Writer's Corner." Some stories are true, but most are just figments of my imagination even though some are based upon personal experiences. "Brothers in Blood," "No Two Minute Warning," and "Will I Finally Find Some Peace?" are stories about my second Vietnam tour. "A Cat's Tale" and "Broken Promises" are stories about our two cats. They are based upon many personal experiences and observations. "The Age of Innocence" is the first story I wrote and it was actually published in a magazine. I have a few more stories that I wrote, but have not taken the time to publish them. Do you see what I mean about "lack of discipline?"

One selfish reason I began blogging was to see if I could regain that discipline that is needed to write daily. So far, I have done pretty well. I am also reading a lot of articles on blogging in an attempt to improve the quality of the articles. Unfortunately, I have not found that rhythm that I felt a few years ago where stories came to me night and day, and writing was exciting and fulfilling.

What has this post to do with Kennedy's Disease? Since I am retired and find it difficult to hike, work in the shop, play tennis, sail, ride my bike, or do most anything else outdoors, writing became my passion. It allows me to redirect my creative side and keep my mind and hands busy. You could call it a hobby, but in many ways, it is so much more.

This post is meant to be a self-confession and hopefully a wakeup call. Let's hope it works because "I feel the need."


 
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