“Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.”
- E.L. Doctorow, Writers at Work: The Paris Review Interviews (2nd Series)
There is something seductive about that blank document when it flashes up on your screen. Something fresh and unique with no boundaries and virtually no rules attached. Its yours. 100% yours and no one can do it better than you, because no one else is qualified to be you. That’s uplifting. You are in complete control. You can do anything you like. Anything.
A one-sentence paragraph. Kill off a character. Twist the plot like a pretzel. Make your readers laugh. Make them cry. Make them wait…
Bullet points. I love these. Keep the reader on the page. Engaged.
· Engrossed
· Fascinated in your story
· Captivated
· Lost in time
· What’s next? Their thinking
At around ten years of age, I enjoyed writing letters to my grandma who lived overseas in Honolulu. She went for a holiday and fell in love with the island. Who doesn’t? She called it home for 21 years before returning to Australia for her final days. The internet didn’t exist then, and communication was by phone, letter, or face to face. The easier option was a postcard, but there were too many exciting things going on in my life to reduce things to three or four sentences.
· Family stories
· Venturing into high school
· Sporting achievements
· Growth spurts
· Sibling rivalry
· School holidays
· Disappointments
· Puberty
· The highs and lows of adolescence
She kept those letters for 15 years, until her passing in 1994, and I learned my first crucial lesson in writing: What is written from the heart, catches the heart. I have now written two books, with plans for a third. When the writing ‘bug’ bites, it bites hard.
Writing a book is a marathon. When the COVID-19 pandemic rudely entered the contest, it felt like completing the race on my hands and knees. Fortunately, some close friends and some wonderful writing networks around the world dragged me to the finishing line.
Melbourne has been in lockdown more than any other city in the world so far during the COVID-19 pandemic – 267 days by the time major restrictions were lifted. So why write another book?
THE MOST SPECTACULAR VIEWS COME AFTER THE STEEPEST CLIMBS.
That’s the first reason. The reasons why give you the power. Like every marathon, it’s the grind and the rhythm and the routine that stimulates you. Break any big goal down and it’s achievable. 1000 words a day? YES. That’s attainable. Seven days a week? Why not? Nothings open, plenty of spare time. Interviews on the phone? Easy. Read more? YES. Three books a week. Suddenly, the “Yes train” gains momentum, and the fog is clearing.
LACHLAN WATERMAN
Author, The Mosquito Fleet
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