This week on “Tales from a Roving Mind” I’ll be talking about fear, and giving a general progress report.




I’ve written everyday for nearly a month straight, I can’t explain how odd that is for me. The last time I wrote like that was probably over a year ago. Since then my writing had become very infrequent, I’d go months without writing a single word. So, to be able to say that I’ve written over 29,000 words in less than a month is quite an achievement.

But quantity isn’t important, what matters is quality. The story I’m writing isn’t going to set the world on fire, but it will be a fun read. It’s still rough, after I finish it, it’ll need a rewrite or two, but it’s good. I have high hopes for it, and plan to have it available for download by the year’s end.

Which brings me to fear. On a few occasions I’ve wanted to skip writing and go to sleep, I write late at night right before bed. I have not allowed that to happen. I fear that if I do I’ll fall off the wagon and go right back to my old habits.

That’s the fear I was talking about. I’m getting older, this summer I’ll be 33, and I have nothing to show for my life. I’ve staked everything on being a writer, now that I’m actually producing something I’m terrified of losing this momentum. I know what happens when I do that, I hit the wall and stay there.

I have to make a confession. I don’t like writing, not really. I enjoy coming up with stories and talking in a characters voice, but I can’t say writing is a pleasurable activity for me. Robert A. Heinlen, my favorite author, wrote about that in “The Cat Who Walks Through Walls”. The star of the book is a writer, on  a few occasions he talks about how difficult writing can be. That’s what I’ve experienced, the difficulty.

In fact, until this story which is coming pretty easily, I can’t say I’ve written anything with ease. For me it’s like pulling teeth. I don’t know why I’m having an easy time of it at the moment but I just hope this continues until I can finish this book.

Fear. I wonder what other writers fear about writing? I assume being good enough or being judged are the top two, but I can’t be the only one who fears inactivity. Not  writers block, the ideas are there but the drive isn’t.  Do you fear that?

Next week, I’ll actually delve into the story I’ve been working on. See you then.