Small Town Life

I love living in a small town. It's big enough to have a hospital, a Costco, a Target, far too many Wal-Marts (two, and that's two too many), and a mall, albeit not a great one. But it's small enough that we're constantly running into people we know, the library is often actually quiet, and we really feel at home. We don't have things in common with everyone in the town (there are a lot of retired Republican gun owners, for example), but we've found a few niches where we fit in really well.

Another advantage of living in my town is that when someone like Alan Dean Foster shows up at the library to do a talk for the local professional writer's group, there are only about 50 people there. It makes for a much more intimate talk, and you feel like you're in the room with him, rather than just watching him from the audience. I won't quote him, as I don't have his permission. But needless to say, it was a great talk, and he covered many things that are different from what I learned when I interviewed him for GeekDad last spring.

So thank you, ADF. Learning from your experiences in writing, Hollywood, traveling, and local small town living is invaluable. Thank you for sharing with us all.

Creating My Process

Image by tomswift46 via Flickr

I'm still relatively new to this whole writing-as-profession thing, and I'm still working out the kinks. I don't have any set time set aside for writing. I am very busy and have the kids at home with me all day. Sometimes I have time in the evening to write, but by then, my brain is usually only operating on half power. Early morning usually works, except that means I have to get to bed early, which rarely happens.

So it'd be nice if I could get a regular time each week to write. Preferably every day, but since each day is a little bit different, it's hard to work it in. Perhaps I can work in a couple of post-lunch hours, a couple days per week.

I do have a pretty good writing process, though, once I do get writing. First I write down everything I want to say, either as a review or another kind of article. Then I go through it a second time, rearranging paragraphs, filling in big holes, making sure all of the parts are there. Then I go through it a third time, making sure it sounds right and I didn't leave anything out. Occasionally I have to read it a fourth time, and once in a blue moon I only have to do it twice. But a pattern has emerged, and it is working for me. But I can't write in 10 minute increments. I need to focus on it for a while.

I need to find time to focus, since my mom brain is always got its antennae up listening for the kids. That's my challenge recently.