Saturday, February 18, 2012

The Weekend Writer

Little Corona beach, early.
It's Saturday morning, and what are most normal people doing? They're sleeping in, or going for a walk or a run, or to the Farmer's Market, drinking coffee, reading the paper, taking it easy.  I love doing all this too, and I do, too.  But writers aren't normal people.  Writers are a strange, wonderful breed, amongst my favorite people. 

So live up to your vocation or avocation.  Don't act normal. As literary agent Betsy Lerner (author of Forest for the Trees) said when she came on my show, nurture your quirks, exaggerate how you're different from others--in looks, in behavior, in your writing. And write on the weekend.  While everyone else is relaxing, drinking beer and watching the game, and just generally taking it easy, use a bit of your weekend days to write.  Even if you only visit with your writing, even if you've only spent 15 minutes writing, you will have written and you'll feel better about yourself for it. 

Don't know what to write?  Here's a prompt: Wherever you are, at this minute, write from where you sit.  What's going on around you? What do you see? Smell? Hear?   Is there a window nearby? Or maybe you're outside, at a cafe. What's going on? What do you hear?

Write 250 words and post it here. I'd love to read it.

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