DAY 21: How They Write

A writer is a person for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people. ~ Thomas Mann (1875 - 1955)

I read somewhere that John Grisham wrote his first novel longhand, on the train while commuting, using a yellow legal pad. Jaclyn Moriarty wrote in her blog that she wrote one of her books partly at home, partly in a cafe, and sometimes she sat in a cafe reading Gothic novels and books on drumming and woodwork. She called this research, a word so delicious I smacked my lips when I read that.

Before becoming a full-time writer Jaclyn Moriarty was a lawyer, and she has a PhD in law. She wrote her books while she was doing her Ph.D (or at least her first book), and that fact alone stays in my head ever since I found out about it. I spent my three years of PhD complaining about every little this and that. Some days, I was so depressed that getting out of bed was my only triumph of the day: I couldn't imagine somebody had the power to finish her PhD and write a fiction book at the same time.

And the commute to and from work: I spent at least 3 hours commuting every work day. I drive, so writing while commuting is impossible, but I cannot even conjure up a plot in my head while driving because it is..too much work.

Maybe I am just plain lazy. No wonder I am not published. Writing is sheer hard work, and yours truly still needs to grow a lot of muscles to do it.