Jul 29

Just because an academic is staring out the window, doesn’t mean he isn’t working.

This is something my father (an academic) told me a very long time ago. It resonates with the writer too.

Except in my case it’s closer to: ‘Just because a writer is lying in a hot bath on a cold winter night, doesn’t mean she isn’t revising.’ Sometimes that nice, comfortable, long bath is just what you need to tease out the problem chapter opening that won’t work, no matter how long you stare at it, or hold cold your fingers become. And when that moment of revelation comes it conveniently wipes away all the guilt spending an evening in the bath and not on the computer would usually bring.

Now, if I could only find a way to rig up the computer so I didn’t have to get out…

5 comments

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  1. For me it would be, “Just because a writer is lying on the couch eating chocolate, surfing the ‘Net and chatting with her Australian friend, doesn’t mean she isn’t working.” 😉

  2. Similarly for me, just because a writer is moving house and entertaining visitors with small children and working 60 hours a week doesn’t mean she isn’t writing… oh, wait. What? It does?

    Damn.

    🙂

  3. Hmmm… but, while she (the author) is doing all those things story ideas keep popping up (cuz they always do when there isn’t time to write them down) and as she (the author) requires these story ideas before she can even *think* about writing anything, it’s still working.

    😀 better?

  4. Oh wise and worshipful sage, thou art my inspiration. Truly I submit to your words of wisdom and recant all thoughts of inadequacy.

    😀

  5. My work here is done 😉

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