Writing or Typing?

I recall listening to a Robin Williams comedy routine called Kindergarten of the Stars.

The characters at the fictional school were the fictional progeny of celebrities. Two that I recall were Sammy Davis Jr., Jr., and Truman Capote Jr.

The routine had Truman Capote lamenting that the school made them read trite stuff like, “See Dick Run“; he complained about it:

“See Dick Run. See Jane Run. See Spot follow Dick and Jane.” He lamented, “That’s not writing, that’s just typing; why can’t they give us something more substantial to read?”

The routine was hilarious, but it makes me think: When I am writing my books and blogs, I sometimes feel like I am just typing, and sometimes I read my work and it actually entertains or transports.

I hope you enjoy the process of writing, and if it gets to feel like you are just typing, I have a strategy:

Put down the device, watch a movie, read a good book, go for a walk, call a friend, help someone, do some non-writing work. Let the fallow fields rest a bit, and when you come back to them, maybe the work will seem better, the writing livlier, and more rewarding.

The Williams routine is a little raunchy, so I didn’t post it, but I definitely agree with “Capote Jr.’s” philosophy, that writing should be more than words on a page.