Snow, Bugs & Writing

Snow in Arkansas? Everything shuts down!
Stomach bug? I shut down!

But does the writing ever shut down? Today, we’re expecting an inch of snow. Now, you northerners will laugh, but here in the mid-South, that’s serious stuff and we stay home. Really.

That means today, I have to:

• Go to the grocery store and try to beat the rush. (We’re low on everything because I’ve been sick, so I HAVE to go. Of course.)
• Do some necessary shopping for the family before the snow hits.
• Try to keep my stomach calm after a week of a bug.
• Write. I’m working on a new character and trying to find time in the midst of a full life to actually sit and dream and plan and think and get to know this fella. I usually have a stretch of several hours at a time to do something like this, so I’m frustrated that it’s not happening easily this time. But still: writers write. Sick, or in the midst of a full life, or midst of a blizzard (OK, so I exaggerate)–our minds never stop writing.

Today, I will:

• As I walk through the store doing the family shopping, I’ll watch everyone and steal someone’s clothing for my character.
• As I walk through the grocery store, I’ll think about my character’s favorite foods.
• As I drive through slippery streets, I’ll think about where my character lives and how he would get along during a snow storm.

Today, in the midst of a very full and wonderful life, I’ll be planning a second life, a character that I can put on paper when I get another those wonderful stretches of a couple hours to physically write.

May you be healthy and imaginative today!