As I've stated before, writing is hard. Being a writer is no cakewalk either. At any given time I'm walking under the guise of being a normal person, but at the same time I'm also considering plot twists, potential character arcs, snippets or lines of poems that I want to write, two to three seeds of what may grow into short stories, and trying to decide if I should kill someone or not, (in one of my stories of course...).
It's not an unpleasant life, but sometimes my brain does get a bit cluttered. Unfortunately, I posses the innate ability to have an entire conversation, or listen to someone talk to me and not remember a single word mere moments later. For some, this may be considered rude, but I can't help it. My wife, however, has gotten used to this and thusly "reminds" me of things several times, especially if she told me something while I was writing. It's a cross she bears well and I love her for it.
For me, it's all part of the process.
It may be strange, but it works for me. Inspiration can come from the simplest things. For instance, there is a weird sign on the dirt road that goes to our place on the river. The yellow sign simply states, "WATCH THAT CHILD". It's a strange little sign, bent and weathered, but it struck a nerve with me. That sign eventually lead to a yet unnamed novel that I just finished the rough draft for.
Incidentally, this is the first novel or story that I've written that I didn't have a concrete title for before finishing. It's a weird little thing about a family that retreats to their secluded river cabin at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. (I promise it has nothing to do with Covip-19 other than a quick mention in the beginning. I had to get them down there somehow and it sounded legit to me.) The novel is dark and scary, but also psychological and eerie in it's twists and turns.
All from a strange little sign on the side of a dirt road.
Another part of the process is allowing the story to come in its own time. I've sat down with the intention of writing a certain novel, or a sequel to one of my previous novels and didn't get far. The seeds are there but they need to grow wings and fly around in the aviary a bit. I want then to hurry, but the won't. Sometimes stories can be stubborn little things and elusive to pin down. So I wait, and think, and study, and write the ones that are ready. When those are, ready they will land and allow themselves to be written.
So, if you happen to meet me, or talk to me, and I can't remember your name, don't take it personally. I truly do value you and want to talk to you, and I will. I just may not remember it. There's bats in the belfry and I get distracted by their erratic movements sometimes. Like I said, being a writer is no cakewalk.
-John
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