So I dropped the ball...again. To let you know what's going on:
No writing in March. Long hours, added in to some problems at home. It looks like my lovely wife is actually suffering a touch of PTSD from the birth of the twins. She wanted a natural home birth, and got a c-section at the (iffy) advice of a doctor who didn't fill her in completely. This means most of my home time is spent being a Dad and Husband type of guy. In addition, she's taking her courses this year online, which means my laptop gets comandeered most nights. We plan now on purchasing a second laptop for her personal use, and I'll hang on to this old thing so I can actually get stuff done. Although I have several outlines and a couple of pages done longhand, my mind works faster than my hand can write, which means without my computer being available I'm more or less worthless.
A typewriter, for those who will bring it up, is out of the question. The clackity-clack of keys machine-gunning through our house is not a viable option in the wee hours of the morning, unless I want to write with a fussy baby on my lap.
Which brings up a question I want to put out there: I know many of us prefer longhand when possible, either due to portability, persuasion, or the simple enjoyment of a pot of coffee and a legal pad. Let's face it though, the pen and paper approach is falling off faster than a three legged dog slides downstairs. So we must accept the movement of technology into the arena or creativity, be it photoshop, word processing, or even music through mixing, blending, and synthesizing (Interesting side note: I once managed to synthesize a cat screelings [Side-sidenote: "screeling"- the act of screaming and squealing at once. Imagine a pennywhistle being blown by an overexcited child who, at the same time, is singing the Star Spangled Banner after sucking down a weather balloon-sized helium supply.] This was in college. It was not a pretty song.)
So, here comes the basic question: if tomorrow you were to have the modern conveniences of a computer and typewriter removed, how many would find it much more difficult to maintain their current story output. Cate, you don't get to answer this one. I'm convinced you'd write entire stories in blood on cave walls in the course of minutes if dropped in the woods.
Alright, time to go to dinner.
Peace,
J.C. Tabler
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5 comments:
Not at all. I'd find some rocks and scratch the stories into the walls - unless, of course, I could use someone else's blood.
I'd quit in a heartbeat. I have a couple of notebooks for ideas on the fly, but my sentences don't make sense when I try to write long hand. Same "brain is faster than the hand" issue.
Good luck with the juggling at home.
It would suck. My hands get very tense when I write, and hurt after less than a page!
My problem is I can't read my own handwriting (thank you college, for ruining my already bad penmanship) I would still write but it wouldn't be pretty, or publishable. It sure as hell wouldn't be books but short stories.
Wish you and your family well.
you have been nominated for an award over at my blog. Hope things are going well for you.
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