Writing Isn't the Hard Part (Writing)

This is the first chance in a couple of days that I have had to sit down and write for writerscramp. Not because I have been to the lovely Caribbean for a vacation or because I have been immersed in cooking classes in Northern Ontario. Nope. I’ve been writing to deadline.

And usually this is my favourite part of the writing life. Writing under a little bit of time pressure, having to get the story across quickly, making time to eat only so that you can write into the night. This is what makes me happy. Usually.

But then comes the rejection. The rewrites. The emails flying back and forth trying to set up an interview or event. This is the stuff that comes along with the writing life and because of it, some days are easier than others.

So, today, amid the wait for changes to come in, I am trying to get comfortable with this awkwardness. And maybe a little time for reflection is just what I need. My whole career is centered on writing about people and events – sometimes I include myself, but I don’t leave much room for thinking about it - I just write it.

So, while today is a harder day than others, I take comfort in the fact that I still have a ton of stuff waiting to send out, a number of assignments due next week and a notebook crammed with new ideas ready to alight from my desk drawer at any moment.

And maybe next week or next month, I will be writing about the success of a story or the ease in which a pitch was accepted.

There is always tomorrow.

Today, I close my eyes and wait.