“What Do You Do When You’re Not Writing?”
This sentence does not occur to me, is not part of my consideration, and subsequently, is unable to be answered. Perhaps, some people, who are not writers, think that “writing” means solely the act of sitting down in front of a preferred keyboard and, well, writing.
But there is a great deal more involved. Whether you are a Plotter or a Pantser, there is a certain degree of outlining. Maybe it’s just character names or places, a scribble here or there to remind you of an intriguing scene you wish to include, or a link to refer to at a later date. After the writing, the first draft, there is the dreaded process of revision, followed by editing. Or maybe that’s vice versa. If you plan on trying to sell this work, there is writing the synopsis, cover letter, query letter.
Okay, so let’s say you’re NOT writing any of those things. You’re NOT reworking your novel, editing and revising it. Sorry, but I’m still writing. When I read or watch t.v., I’m feeling that story being told and trying to innately understand what is being presented and where things are going. I’m noticing scenes. I’m hearing dialect and word choice in dialogue. I am allowing myself to be entertained but I am also learning.
Perhaps I come across a news article or a non-fiction book. There is an abundance of new information and maybe the tidbit of a fact that makes me ponder “What if?” and I follow that nugget to the thread of a story.
And, trust me, it is not an affliction for which it is necessary to be cured. We writers are often in a state of heightened awareness, looking out for the next tale to be told. We may not always be sitting behind a preferred keyboard. But we ARE writing.
You see, most writers will tell you they can’t shut it off. The ideas and stories and characters and dialogue float around, sometimes like a pounding migraine, or just as often like an ethereal cloud. You might have to break a writer’s trance when you’re having a “normal” conversation with them because they are often, as we say, in another world.
