Serious or not! If you didn't write, what would you be doing?!

[carole gill]

Allowing for the day job--!
Okay, you come home and you write.
You write when you can, or you write a certain proportion of the day, night or evening--BUT!!!!! If you DIDN'T write--?!
What would you be doing?
Over-eating, reading, painting: houses, canvases--or perhaps you'd be sculpting, sewing, watching t.v., exercising (shudder), writing poison pen letters to newspapers, dancing, couch potatoing, what do you think?
I'd be reading more I think. I'd also be sticking my nose in, in amateur dramatics and most certainly I'd be nagging my husband more about doing stuff around the house (he loves that I'm occupied with writing)!
How about you?

[Dana King]

I'd play trumpet again (recovering musician), exercise more, watch a few more baseball and hockey games, shoot some pool. Nothing dramatic, but I'm just getting back in the swing of things after taking off most of the summer and I definitely wouldn't explode if I didn't write. Keeping busy is not a problem.

[carole gill]

wow. trumpet huh?
what's a recovering musician mean?
good for you about exercise, not me.
keeping busy is not a problem for you, that's good too.
I suppose I would read more--maybe get involved in more social things--clubs and so on.
very good Dana, thanks!

[Ray Paterson]

Wow...what a bumper bundle of replies. Personally, if I was'nt writing I would be doing absolutely nothing. Up until recently that is. I was the worlds greatest procrastinator. Totally putting off everything. Now, I am preparing to start my own reflexology practice, I start a new job next week to help finance it. I also have a facebook account, and a myspace blog that I started to use seriously a week or so ago. My aim with that is to write something(however small) everyday. I don't like to let the grass grow under m' feet and become a couch potato, but sometimes I have to to avoid burn out. I'm back from my course now - a week in Leeds for my job training- so its back into the fray...Yeeehaaa!!

[carole gill]

Ray, the best of luck with your new biz!
And good luck with the job too.
Prostrastination, yup I can identify with that!
I think it's good--a great start really to know you have a committment to write something every day.
burn out is no good--I nearly had that last week, no correction: i DID have that last week! realized I had to get back on the rails and I did.
frays are good, they keep us on our toes and then you can always do reflexology on yourself, right?!
great reply and thanks!

[Kim Smith]

Photography. definitely.

[carole gill]

how interesting!
thanks!

[John McFetridge]

For my novel, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, I did a lot of research on growing and smuggling marijuana and part way through writing the book I started to wonder, is this a novel or a business plan?

[carole gill]

INTERESTING, John!
like that! And hey! think about this--you get rich, and even if they get you eventually--you cut a deal--write about it--and--!!!!!!
seriously, very good reply!
I know what you mean--I have so much fun with research too!
Just reading about the last madam of New Orleans--(Norma Wallace, from the book, The Last Madam).
it's a riot--too much.
Apparently, she ran the best places there from the 1920 to the 6o. lived like a queen--hmmmmm?!!

[Pepper Smith]

You mean I gotta just pick one?

Probably I'd be trying to make a living as a singer/musician. Writing has always been the stronger of the two drives, though.

[carole gill]

noo, Pepper!
list whatever you like! not one thing.
singer/musician--huh? fabulous.
Anything creative is hard though--I tried MANY years ago--acting/dancing--nada with that, I found!
Then worked at just about everything from waitressing to reception work to executive secretary (parents forked out for a great secretarial school) I was lucky they did!
But writing was always there--calling to me.
So like yours, it was the stronger drive I guess.

[Cynthia Rice]

I'd take ball room dancing lessons and learn to tango.
I'd play more tennis and develop a killer serve.
And see more movies. Buy Ebert's book about the best 100 movies, and make sure I've seen every one of them.

[carole gill]

that's great!
See I think that's the main thing I'm aware of with writing--should really move the tookie around more.
tennis, dancing--ooh tango! love watching it, hmm that sounds nice--tango lessons! you've given me an idea!
Yeah I'd see more films too.
very good Cynthia thanks.