It has been a while since my last blog. Readjusting to life in America has been a little difficult. Not only do I miss the creature comforts of my life there, I also miss the warm friendships I had developed there.
Of course there are many things I enjoy about being back here -uninterrupted power, a reliable thermostat that maintains a comfortable temperature - being able to drive, better TV programs - yeah I know , it sounds a little lame.
This morning, after persuading several of my schoolmates to read my blog, I decided I too should go back and read. Some are pretty bad - but a few brought a smile to my face, and others took me back to that moment in time when I had experienced whatever it was I was writing about. And I actually enjoyed it.
It also reminded me of why I had started blogging in the first place - you've got to write a 1000 words a day on any topic if you really entertain the prospects of being a writer. I saw a little video of my favorite author Jeffrey Archer describing how he creates a book - he wakes up at 5:30 in the mornng and writes for 2 hours. He takes a 2 hour break and then writes again from 9:30-11:30. A 2 hour break and back to writing for 2 hours - 1:30-3:30 (no nap Jeffrey ?) and then another 2 hour break write for 2 more hours and etc. He writes for 8 hours every day. At the end of 1 year - he is ready to share the first draft with his editors.. Over 4000 hours to create the first draft. And he goes through a dozen drafts (though they don't all take that long). We're talking about 10,000 hours to write a book.
Even assuming I could strike up a plot that is generally in the same neighborhood as Jeffrey's (which may well be the larger problem), do I have the ability, discipline and resolve, to write for 8 hours a day ? Well, as long as I am gainfully employed, I won't have the opportunity to find out - no I don't want to hear any arguments of "there are 24 hours in a day" and you can work through the night - because I cannot. So maybe I should work on plot development. Or maybe I should just write a blog. Perhaps meaningless ones initially, until I can figure out how to capture the readers interest.
Yes while the question may well be "To blog or not to blog" the answer clearly is Blog Away......!!
I've had your blog as a bookmark for ages, but haven't looked at it for quite a while. Interesting that I looked at it today, as I too often contemplate writing a book - you've given me good perspective on the time requirement. So, don't hold your breath, but if I ever do write something worthwhile I'll keep you posted. Best wishes, Linda
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