Entry 15: I Should Have Never Caught the Writing Bug

I’ve never been good about keeping a journal. It all boils down to consistency. There are days when I skip making an entry. Life can crowd out the time I need to write down my thoughts about a day’s events. I’ve also been reluctant to pose as an expert on the writing process. If I knew anything of value about writing, my work would already be in print. I went out on a skinny limb of a tall in 2022 when I shared my 365 days of thankfulness. The exercise forced me to put myself out there with my soft belly exposed. Thank you for joining me on my journey in the written word. Therefore, I plan to keep a journal in 2023 to document my progress. I will call entry 15: I Should have never caught the writing bug.

Note: I consider editing an important part of the writing process. Editing is where all the artistry happens.

The project I am working on now and entry 15: I Should have never caught the writing bug. 

I finished working on chapter 3 and added chapter 4, which will be told from Oliver Chandler’s point of view. He goes into a seedy biker bar in Algiers at Will Chandler’s request to collect information about the woman with jade-green eyes. At this point in the story, it is not certain that Mazie is a good person. It appears she hangs out with a dangerous criminal element. She was chased across Lake Pontchartrain by a pack of outlaw bikers. I am enjoying this rewrite. I am finding it difficult to drag myself away from it.

There are many reasons why I should have never caught the writing bug. I thought I would take a few minutes today to examine them. It might be important for me to perform this exercise in self-reflection since I have ignored doing it for so long.

A list of Reasons why I shouldn’t have caught the writing bug.

Firstly, my struggle to learn to read should have created a bad taste in my mouth for the written word. Instead, it might have motivated me to dive into the deep end without counting the cost. I learned to love to read. The more books I devoured, the more I craved the reading process. The next natural step for a born storyteller was to write one myself.

Secondly, while raising my five kids, I didn’t have the time to write anything longer than a short story or poem. I’ll admit I had the craving. There were always stories rambling around in my head. Then, I went back to school. I had some crazy notion in the back of my mind that higher education would lead to a writing career. it led to a lousy job instead. I thought any idea of creating a novel was a childish dream until the story Saving the Henhouse took root in my mind.

Thirdly, people who struggle against poverty most of their life don’t write books. This form of creative activity doesn’t happen. Publication becomes an elusive dream even if they get the words on the page. I read a lot of books. The characters are always upper middle class. They exist in a world so far removed from my experience that I could never write from that point of view. Naomi, one of the characters from my Saving the Henhouse series, comes from an upper-middle-class background. She is the hardest character for me to write.

I am sure more reasons exist than the ones I listed as to why I should never have caught the writing bug, but I won’t bother you with them now. As I write this, they don’t even sound mildly interesting.

The book I am currently reading while contemplating entry 15: I Should have never caught the writing bug.

I am still reading Alexander McCall Smith’s The Lost Art of Gratitude. The protagonist seems to get into trouble when she allows herself to do favors for people she doesn’t know well. When people ask her for favors, she can’t seem to turn them down or say no because of moral scruples. She also is having issues with her niece because she was with the man Isabel plans to marry first. I like the book, but I also find Isabel to be a bit of a busybody.

What I’m listening to today while contemplating entry 15: reasons I Should have never caught the writing bug.

I put Sly & The Family Stone’s Greatest Hits on the stereo and jammed out to the music. I love this funky sound. All of these songs played on the radio all during my teen years. It became the soundtrack of my youth. I had to listen to the CD twice.

The thing I am most thankful for at this moment.

I am thankful for my creative joy while revisiting Amazing Buchanan and the Beast. Walking around in their world for the morning makes me feel inspired. I enjoy creating the tension that exists between the characters. I wonder if that means I have a cruel streak buried inside of me.

This old lady says

It’s time for me to be moving on. The hands of the clock are moving toward late afternoon. I have to get to the gym and walk my miles to get my heart pumping and take off the excess poundage. It’s bowling night. I hope I don’t throw out my back when I toss that ball down the lane. I suck at it, but I still have fun. Wish me luck.

Who is Molly Shea?

Molly Shea is an accomplished fictional short story writer from Indiana who writes short stories and novels about a fictional town called Tecumseh.  To read more of her short stories and adventures, click here.

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