So Cheryl and I had a party…
We met for breakfast, and wrote for the rest of the day. I finished an article for the book Cheryl is putting together, brainstormed an awesome plot for a book or movie (Cheryl and I can picture Cameron Diaz in it.), and wrote six pages on my work in progress. Cheryl worked on formatting the aforementioned book and did editing on her latest work. For a couple of writers with no extra time in their lives, it was fun – even if we sat around all day in a nearly silent place.
Our party was a perfect example of what many writers call the BIC method. I’m not talking about cigarette lighters or pens; I’m talking about putting your Butt In a Chair. If you want to write, the BIC method is the only way you’ll actually do the job.
It’s reported that 80% of Americans want to write a book. However, only a tiny percentage will ever make it from “Once upon a time” to “The End.” Why? Because they won’t stick their backside in a chair and write. They have jobs, families, football games to watch, shopping to do, laundry rooms that need digging out, old friends to call, toe nails to clip, grout to clean, old magazines to alphabetize, and a million other excuses that keep them from writing. Some of them have great stories to tell, tales of love, loss, heroism, and tragedy. Some have amazing, life changing experiences that few will ever know about because they can’t sit still long enough to type out the words. How sad.
Kick yourself into a chair, my friend, and write the story in your heart. Give a voice to the characters that have been living in your imagination. Share with the rest of us how your grandfather survived the hell of WWII. Give voice to the agony your mother suffered when they told her that your brother was never coming home. Delight us with the love story of two fresh-off-the-boat immigrants who discovered love behind the bakery. Just write. It beats washing the dog any day.
Have a lovely week,
Mary
