For those of you that follow my blogs, you know that I am a big fan of Audiobooks reserved strictly for listening whilst out driving in the car. I do not listen at home with the single exception of when I am in the hot tub relaxing after a long hike and then sometimes, I will bring out the portable speaker as I soak and unwind.
Even though I write a blog and to date have posted over 700 articles, I do not consider myself a writer in the strict sense of the word. No, I am a reporter that can write an interesting (I hope) narrative of something that has occurred that usually, I have been involved in. Whether it be a hike or an Austin Pond Society Meeting or a poem, they are all things that I have been a part of or lucky enough to witness. Sometimes, I will get on my high horse and start ranting about something that I find disturbing that is happening in the rest of the World outside of my little part of it. I like to think I have an interesting style, enough for my readers to enjoy but as we are all different, I can only hope.
Which brings me to the reason for this blog. I have tried several times to write a novel and in a couple of cases have even written over 500 or more pages on a story but have never been very happy with the end result and have never pursued it further. As I listen to a story on Audiobooks, a part of my mind is trying to figure out where the story is going and what might be the next step the hero or heroine will take. Sometimes, I get it right but most of the time, my mind is just not devious enough to figure things out. Some of the twists and turns I would never have expected and when they go in a particular direction, my mind is in awe of the writer’s ingenuity. I guess that is what makes some writers truly great and some stories super interesting when nothing is as it seems.
What will I write about when I can no longer hike and have given up my interest in ponds as a hobby? Does that mean that I will also give up writing (reporting) as I will no longer have these things to write (report) on or will my mind grow more devious as I age? I suppose that in all probability, my mind will also deteriorate as I get older along with all of the other physical aspects of living. Maybe I will lose the ability to put one word after another to make an interesting story. This will pretty much solve the dilemma of writing or reporting if I will not be able to do either. I can probably fall back to writing bad poetry as a few disjointed and mangled or missing words here and there will not be noticed.
Who knows what the future may hold. With limited time left on this earth all I can hope for that other than getting more and more forgetful, the rest of the brain still knows how to act and will continue to function until I no longer care. At that point, goodbye world.
AND I can listen to Audiobooks on my way out….
Written 9/28/2017
I always enjoy your writing. I have a feeling we will be hearing from you for a very long time. I write because it makes me happy. Even if no one read my stories, I would still enjoy writing them. Take care, and have a wonderful Christmas.
I suppose that I too write because it makes me happy. More than anything else, it gives me a feeling of great satisfaction when a piece turns out particularly well. Thanks for reading my stuff and you too have a great Holiday.
Don’t know if this will help or not. I’ve struggled with writing for years and often have lost my desire to do so. I took a writing class many years ago and one thing still stands out today: “all stories do not need an ending.” Try leaving a hint that there may be more to come later. You already do this to a small degree and I find myself looking for your posts every day. Write your book and leave the end hanging, and who knows, maybe someone will look forward to the next installment. I will be one of those…
Thank you. Your words are very kind and maybe I will take another look at the book.
Please do…
Sir, you are your biggest critic so maybe you need to loosen up a bit and just tell the reader decide whether it was a good or bad end product. There is no use to be so harsh on yourself because you indeed write wonderfully well and a part of you know that too.
Let your creativity free so that it can bring out your masterpiece.
Looking forward to reading your book someday.
Warm regards,
Thank you Dee for those kind words. I guess all writers are looking for perfection even though it is only in the eyes of the writer and I am no different.
That’s true..
But sometimes we do need to take the leap of faith even when that faith is someone else’s but in us 😊
Faith in oneself. Interesting concept. That requires confidence in one’s ability, in this case as a writer…
Take (daily) plenty of fish oil capsules. The DHA in them is essential for memory (and the fish oil, too, will help prevent you from having a stroke)! 🙂
Good advice, I sure need something to get through the forgetfulness.
I’ve never been an auditory learner so although I’ve tried, I just can’t get into listening to podcasts or books, but keep on writing cause I’ll keep on reading.
Bj
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I’m not sure I learn much from listening to Audiobooks except that almost everyone of those writers is a heck of a lot better than I will ever be.