WRITING: MAKING TIME

“To be a serious writer requires discipine that is iron fisted. It’s sitting down and doing it whether you think you have it in you or not. Every day. Alone. Without interruption.” —Harper Lee bestselling author of To Kill A Mocking Bird

Harper Lee’s words are daunting. Does she mean locking yourself up all day like a hermit? I’m picturing a windowless room, candlelight, wax dripping–writing from the bowels of a seventeen century dungeon. Terrifying. However, I agree with her advice that a serious writer must write every day. Analyzing my writing career, this is where I’ve succeeded and failed. Back in my twenties, I was a young prosecutor and lived in Charlestown, a neighborhood of Boston which had the highest unsolved murder rate in the country. I started an outline for a novel, but kept putting it down, and didn’t get much accomplished. I finally made a New Year’s resolution to write everyday, even if it was only a sentence. IT WORKED! By the end of the year, I had a draft that I could edit. That draft became my legal thriller, Under Oath. Writing something daily keeps the ideas flowing. Whenever I take a break from that routine, I flounder. Thus, I would follow Harper Lee’s advice, write every day, but take it in baby steps.