Writing the Word

            What is the word, anyway? Is it the truth? Is it a lie? Is it fantasy, imagination gone wild, or secrets divulged? And why do it? Writing is not always easy, but it can be fun, and if the words flow, as they sometimes do, the result is quite satisfying. The challenge of writing comes when words stubbornly resist like a terrible two-year-old. How does one talk sense into them? Likely it’s not possible. They won’t listen, or can’t hear. The parent, the writer, stands aside then, knowing this challenge will pass eventually. A new day will arrive, a blank page will appear, and new discoveries will be made. One moves forward.

            I have written a new novel, a mystery that currently is with the publisher. When I began writing this book, I had no idea where it would take me. Seriously. Writing is like that sometimes. I begin often with an idea, a concept, or a view about life, and let myself go. The characters I develop often emerge having minds of their own. It is almost as if they take charge, pointing the way rather than allowing me to lead them. And as for the plot? It can be equally unruly. Twists and turns occur as those words fill the page taking me, the writer, into places and situations I had not foreseen or imagined. It’s magic, really, and I’m addicted.

So, here’s to words . . . wonderful, delicious words. They are there, millions of them, free for the picking.