Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Live to Write

“I lived to write, and wrote to live.” -Samuel Rogers


I write every day. Now, by writing I mean anything that has to do with stringing a paragraph together or revising something I've already written. After all, we writers know that it's not the first draft that truly makes us a writer, but the 13th. (I say that because I just finished Draft #13 yesterday. I need a gold star or a brownie button as a reward. Or a parade. I like parades.)

When I don't write, life seems a little less colorful. This could be because I'm probably sick or so stressed about a project at work that I can't possibly take time to smell the roses. But there is a secret little thrill of finding inspiration in the mundane to include in one of my novels. It could just be a line of dialogue or a character sketch from someone at the McDonald's drive-through (true story!), but I feel like being a writer makes me notice the details in life I might have otherwise missed.

What about you? Does being a writer make your life more colorful? Do you live to write and write to live?

4 comments:

fairyhedgehog said...

*Throws ticker tape for the thirteenth draft parade*

dolorah said...

I have a song that fits your celebration. I think its from Enya.

I'll go see.

I wish I wrote to live. I just like it when I can fit it in.

But I truly envy those who have the all out passion to devote every moment to this venture. I rarely comment on your personal blogs Steph, but I so enjoy it.

Enjoy some glitter and glow; you deserve it.

.........dhole

Rick Daley said...

I lot of my creative process is internal. I think about my WIP all the time, like Mozart composing a symphony in his head before writing it down, except it is words and not music and it lacks that unflawed genius thingy common in Mozart's compositions. But other than that it's pretty much the same.

WORD VERIFICATION" troventi. The largest trough of coffee you can get at Starbucks

L. T. Host said...

Right now, it's a coloration. When I have more time, it's akin to breathing :) I love writing stories and I don't think I'll ever stop.