This post isn't about better writing, it's about being a better writer.
As I write this, the TV above my head is blaring the tedious drama of ghetto dwelling reprobates. Two more of that ilk sit across from in in the auto shop waiting room. Their undisciplined children are doing their level best to dismantle a wire frame toddler toy, banging on it with whatever comes to hand. The second family’s kids are licking the vending machine glass, adding a fine patina of saliva and snot to the display.
A retreat to Twitter or quick raid before the Clash of Clans war would help pass the time in this torture hall, but there’s something else to be done first.
Write.
One of my major weaknesses for a long time was an inability to write until the conditions were just right. Late at night, peace and quiet, 10 minutes of warm up. You know the drill.
Those of us writing for the enjoyment of it have to carve time out of busy days, so we can’t wait. We better be able to toss out a couple hundred words on a lunch break, on the bus, you name it.
The words might not be great. They may come slow. They may never see the eyes of a single reader. They are still worth it. Each one takes you closer to David Edding‘s 'million written words to proficiency’.
So next time you have a few minutes, no matter how loud or obnoxious the ambiance, add a few words to your novel, bang out a blog post, just get something down.
Prove to yourself writing is more important than social media, video games, or whatever other waste you normally use to kill time. Writing is not what you do, it's who you are. So be a writer, get writing, and keep writing, whenever and where ever you can.
This environment is about as bad as it gets. A man who can write here can write just about anywhere.
