Mind Blogging

Sometimes blogging is a pain! Who cares what I have to say? Some people do. Some read every word. Some don’t read a thing. Writing, whether a blog, a poem, or a novel exercises the mind though and in that respect is very important.

I knew from the moment I woke up this morning that I would write today, probably a blog first, and then I would work on my new novel that is over 23,000 words along. I’m enthused about the current book I’m writing because it is a bit different from past works. I have crafted new characters, new settings, and new scenarios that have surprised even me as they have developed. The magic of writing, at least for me, is that it occurs all the time. I do not have to be in front of the computer pounding the keyboard to write. Threads of a story often are created in my mind. I wind them up there and unravel them later, not knowing for sure at times how they will twist into the storyline. Once created, characters pull on those threads and in that respect, appear to write the story too. Sound crazy? Maybe.

I spoke with a friend who is an artist recently. Her creativity comes out on canvas. I asked her if she always had a plan. “No,” she said. “I may think I do, but putting acrylics or watercolor to a canvas or paper does not always work out as I had anticipated. And,” she added, “some paintings, that I think are awful from the beginning, turn out to be my best work!” I appreciated hearing that, because so it is with writing. I’ve written blogs that I think are marginal to say the least but for some reason they “reach out” to folks. Others that I think have real substance have had little response, which speaks to the fact that we all view art differently. I suppose the point is for my friend to keep painting and for me to keep writing no matter what others think. It’s what we love to do. It’s what we must do. It exercises our minds.