“Thank
God for social networking,” a writer friend said to me recently. “That’s about
all the social life I can handle!”
I’m
sure your first thoughts were like mine…Oh
how sad…Social networking doesn’t really
count…SO GLAD I’m not like that…
But if
you’re in the midst of writing a new book, as I am, then chances are that you are “like that”. At least for the time
being.
To
others, it may seem like you’re sacrificing your relationships for a dark room
and a laptop. But those of us that write know that that’s not true at all—sometimes
we like to write in bright rooms, too!
And
even then, we may be spending less time with friends and family, but it’s for their own good!
Imagine,
you’ve just stopped in the middle of a chapter—just as your juices were really
starting to flow, too!—because Michael and Sally wanted to grab lunch and catch
up. This is a hypothetical situation that won’t end well for anyone
involved.
You,
as the author, will invariably have your mind off in your book, with your
characters, in their current predicament, trying not to lose the emotion of the
scene or forget to add in that detail you just thought of and—does anyone have a pen? What? No, I just
need to make a note on my napkin…What were you saying?
As for
Michael and Sally, well, they’ll be having lunchtime conversation with only
half of your conscious mind. It’s just not fair to you or them.
Don’t completely shun everyone and lock
yourself away until you’re work’s complete—seriously, don’t—but a few lunch
dates will have to be surrendered.
True friends
and family will still be there at the completion of you book or project, I
promise! But for now, thank God for
social networking!
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