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?

[Tom Cooke]

I'd probably become a bum.....Oh wait, I'm already a bum. I guess I'd just concentrate my efforts a becoming a better bum. Practice, practice, practice. Then when I got real good at it I would be forced to write about it.

Which is probably a circular conversation. How did I do that?

T.

[carole gill]

circular but ultimately practical, Tom.
Figures you'd say that!
very good, too!

[Dennis Leppanen]

Hey Carole,

Long time, no chat...

Lessee now, I have written full time for over the past thirty years so I have reflected a few times about what if; I had taken up the offer to join the FBI. I was recruited based on my Army Ranger experience in Viet Nam. I declined because I felt my life would be restricted, both personal & professional. BTW, I'm not a good follower of rules.

Or I'd grow herbs & drink Scotch straight from the bottle. Wait, I already do that.

[carole gill]

Wow.
You'd write profile books, ala John Douglas!
herbalist and scotchalist--I'll drink to that!
Interesting about the FBI too.
Thanks Dennis
and it's far too long!
yow ya been?!
me, i'm slogging away at my writing, should be finished fairly soon.
take care and thanks!

[Dennis Leppanen]

I been busier than a cat covering shit, going 3 miles for dirt. Did a lot of traveling this summer, both personal and work-related. Now, comes the fun part, starting my next novel I have quite a bit of the research completed.

I really like every phase of the book at the time I'm working on it. That's plain lucky, I reckon.
Keep typin'

[carole gill]

yes, lucky!
sorry I couldn't reply sooner--just got back from a week's break!
Good luck with that new book, Dennis!
I can't believe I took such a long break away from my work--but i did, and I feel better for it!

[Maggie Bishop]

My husband and I build log homes up here in the mountains of North Carolina. We do one a year and I do all the outside staining -- 2 coats by hand! He would like to build more but I'd rather go hiking. Who knows how long great health will last.

[carole gill]

ooh! I wish I could live in one of them--but I'd have to drag my English husband away from Merry Olde--! if only!
sounds wonderful!
I bet their gorgeous!
And you're right about health--keep going until you can't and then try!
thanks Maggie!