Tuesday, July 03, 2007

How We Write

As I am waiting through what I hope is my last half day without a computer, I've been thinking about how we write.* This past week I've been struggling to write and do research the way I used to just ten years ago--in longhand. And I've found it impossible. I can't keep up with my thoughts the way I can when I type. My right hand is killing me--too many days writing and taking notes from the age of ten have left me with arthritis at age 40 in just my right hand. And I simply can't bring myself to write anything beyond what I must at the moment in longhand (research notes). For eight days I've been unable to write fiction or, even, book reviews. I have 15 books sitting in a pile just waiting for their three-to-four paragraph reviews and I can't do it.

Sigh. How do you write?


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* This time I am entirely blameless for my computer's untimely demise.