Writers In the Storm (With apologies to Jim Morrison)

As I sit at my kitchen table this evening nursing a Jameson Irish Whiskey (the last of the night) I think – what? I’m thinking about the day, about my work, about my wife (she’s upstairs reading Tim O’Brien’s “In the Lake of the Woods” and if you haven’t read it yet, you should!) and, I’m thinking about my two dogs, lying on the floor on the rug in the center of the kitchen. One of them, Max, is old. He’s gotta be at least 14 by now, maybe 15. And Beau, Beau is around 5, he’s still a little young and very energetic. He’s a purebred Sheltie and he barks his head off at cars or trucks or really anything with wheels of any sort. Fortunately, he doesn’t bark all that much inside, mostly outside.

Today I wrote a bit, read a bit, walked a bit, visited with Gloria a bit, watched a movie with her (“I’ve Loved You So Long,” a wonderful film featuring Kristin Scott Thomas), and thought a lot. Nothing wrong with thinking. Sometimes it’s what we need to do the most. Especially if it is productive thinking. Thinking about what I will next tackle in my writing, thinking about how I can find a better, more perfect word for a story that is almost done, almost ready to send out into the world.

Earlier today I ran across this website (http://mfaconnect.com/) and it looked very interesting. I composed a posting and sent it along to them and they wrote me back saying my posting will be listed within a day or two. I think we writers benefit when we connect with one another, when we remind ourselves that we are not so alone as we might sometimes feel, so I sent the post. It’s an open invitation to connect, to communicate, to share. They tell me that there will be a link to this blog when they post what I wrote, and that’s great, because I want more connection with other writers, not less. I want to break our solitude, not romanticize it.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Namaste.