My writing secret…

C.E. Grundler

On occasion, I’ve been asked what my secret is. How do I do it? What’s the secret to writing a novel?

Well, here it is.

Yup. Good old fashioned Glad Cling Wrap, available in a supermarket near you.

Seriously. That’s it, or at least, a vital component. Allow me to explain.

I’ve often joked that I began writing because if I didn’t write everything down, I’d never remember anything.  It’s one of the quirks I’ve endowed upon my memory-challenged protagonist, Otto Hammon, but the truth is, I’m a reminder note and list making junkie.  The wall over my desk is splattered with a multitude of Post-Its, and they frequently find their way throughout my home, dotting the microwave door, TV screen, and even the key rack with an array of neon colored squares, and my phone is filled with an ever changing collection of digital notes. Why?  I’d like to think it’s because I have more things bouncing around my brain than my attention span can –

– SQUIRREL!!!–

What was I saying? (And this is where all these notes come in handy. I can backtrack and get my trains of thought running in the right direction.) The bottom line?  I’m not that good at multi-tasking.  I’m much too easily –

– SQUIRREL!!!–

– distracted. (As for the ‘squirrel’ reference, if you’ve seen the Pixar movie, UP, you know exactly what I’m talking about. And if you haven’t… why not?!)

As I was saying… uhm… what was I saying? Oh, yeah.  Glad Wrap. Just bear with me. I’m far too easily distracted, and have concluded that multi-tasking is best left to the professionals — with one exception. I’m still not going for any medals in the ‘Walk down the street and chew gum’ competitions, but there are two things I’m damned and determined to get completed, and I’ve discovered a way to keep both plates simultaneously spinning. All it takes is a reasonably squirrel-free environment, and a few pieces of Cling Wrap.

Yes, I can, indeed, write a novel AND restore an aging trawler AT THE SAME TIME! What it requires is the ability to type in latex gloves and a Tyvek suit, one work-abused plastic table, one laptop, some Cling Wrap, and a whole lot of insanity, both in regards to the writing and the boat. (BTW, that Cling Wrap trick works on any surface you’d like to keep resin-free.)

That’s no table — that’s my rudder.

Here’s my method. Work on boat. Reach a pre-designated stop point, go to computer, and write.  If I find myself staring blankly at a blinking cursor, step away from the computer and resume sanding/scraping/prying/rebuilding, which usually results in my muses bombarding me with inspiration. Murphy’s Law dictates that this most often occurs while my gloves could double as fly-paper, thus the Cling Wrap Computer Condom. Write, sand, write, mix resin and lay up more glass, write. It’s amazing just how much boat work and writing I’ve gotten done using this method. In the far corner of the far shed, distractions and interruptions are few and far between, not to mention the absence of any internet connection, not that I go online all that much these days. And while a number of nesting birds and a few feral cats reside within the shed, I’ve yet to see a single – SQUIRREL!!!–

The view from my desk. No epoxy today, so I’m doing some unprotected writing.

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