TheBanyanTree: WRITING: GOOD & BAD HABITS

[Sharon Mack]

WRITING: GOOD & BAD HABITS

I started writing at the age of sixteen.  It was sporadic at best, as
boys had quickly become my major interest.  Most of my writing was done
in a makeshift journal; a fat spiral notebook and I used colored pens. 
I love pens but am very specific about how they should feel in my hand
and glide onto the page.  Mostly I liked fountain pens with different
color cartridges.  At one time I owned eight of these pens, all with
different colors, blue; blue-black, black, brown (yes there were brown
ink cartridges), green, red, aqua, and purple.  They were Schaffer
cartridge pens.  Recently I discovered them in a drawer in the old desk
in the attic and I gave them to my grandson.  I don't use them
anymore.  I actually had cartridges left that were still viable.  After
about a month his mother took them away because he got ink all over his
hands and on her furniture.  It did not come out.

Through the years I was on again, off again, never really settling
down.  I would write a poem here, a story there and forget about it.  I
kept a journal, but again, it was sporadic.  In my early 40's I became
ill and had to stay home for quite some time in recovery.  With the kids
in school, I began to write seriously.  For the first time I was
published.  Though on a small scale it was exhilarating to see my work
in print.  At the same time I began writing a food and cooking column
for one of the weekly local newspapers.  That was really a fun time.  I
still have copies of all the papers.  Seeing my byline made me proud.

Eventually, through rehabilitation, I came to the community college to
finish my education.  I had started college in my 20's but quit
because I had married and had children.  It was here during my second
run at education that I began writing again.  The personal stuff; the
stuff with meaning.  I had matured and so had my writing and now that I
am done and am in the working world again I find I am writing still and
all of the time.  

I think the worst habit that I have acquired in regard to my writing is
taking time out of my days at work to write.  I try not to do it often,
or wait until my break or lunch hour, but it is an irresistible urge and
sometimes I just can't wait.  I've got to get it down.  It's like
that at night sometimes when I am trying to sleep.  I know that if I
don't get it down, I'll never sleep so I get up.  Once I am up, I
never get back down (to sleep that is).  Then I am tired the next day. 
Sometimes when the creative side of my brain is churning and bubbling
over with life, it is hard to get the tech side going again.  My work
suffers when this happens.  I can't seem to get it back to where it
should be to do the job.  This is not fair to the workplace.

I have tried a variety of remedies.  I have come in on the weekends and
ignored the urge during the week but I get frustrated and that doesn't
help the job either.  I'm distracted as hell when I have an
inspiration and can't act on it.  I might as well be writing.  At
least I get it out of my system.  I have also tried just opening up a
WORD document and at least getting the idea down and then returning to
the work at hand.  Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn't.  I
keep getting more ideas to add to the first, so I am going in and out of
WORD all day.  This is not good when most of the work I do is in EXCEL
or QUICKBOOKS.

Writing it in longhand has been another remedy that I have tried.  This
seems to work the best.  I now have a composition book sitting on top of
my desk.  When I get a flash, I open up the book and jot it down.  I
then wait until I have a break or until lunch and I can get it into the
computer.  I finalize the piece either after work or on the weekends
when I come in.  It is quiet and no one is here so I get a lot
accomplished then.

But the last and final answer will be when I finally have enough money
to get a computer at home.  I am hoping that will finally solve the
problem.  I can still jot ideas down in my composition book but finish
them in the privacy of my own home.