Write: It's good for you!

If you’re gonna write…

Ruth Ayres

Today was the first day of summer vacation at home. I spent the day writing. First working on my latest project and then working on my keynote. Now I have Celebrating Writers queued up and waiting for me to confirm or change the copy edits. It’ll be out in a couple of months! *Squeal!*

So after writing 5000+ words today, I feel like a list is in order.

If you’re gonna write…

  1. You might stay in the same clothes you slept in until your spouse gets home.
  2. You might nuke the microwave veges for lunch and then return to writing only to have to nuke them again because they are cold. It turns out you can nuke them in the bag twice.
  3. You might have to try not to think about the chemicals the vegetables absorbed from being nuked twice in a plastic bag.
  4. You might count the trips to the refrigerator to refill your water glass as your exercise for the day.
  5. You might consider family time the point when all four of your kids are sitting with you at the kitchen table working on their own books.
  6. You might forget your hair is in the same style you woke up with until you catch your reflection in the rear view mirror while pulling out to go to a meeting with the principal.
  7. You might wonder where the milk went, only to find it next to the oatmeal in the cupboard.
  8. You might be caught between feeling relieved and wanting to revolt when you realize it’s Monday and you owe a blog post.
  9.  You might try out different word choices while acting as catcher for the nine year old pitcher who waited patiently for you to arrive int the back yard. “Mom quit talking to yourself,” she might have said. Of course you respond with, “I’m talking to the imaginary batter so you can get ahead in the count.” You might have to ignore the eye roll.
  10. You might (if you’re really lucky) have a husband who after seeing the sad state of the house says, “You wrote today? I bet it is really good.”

Published by Ruth Ayres

Unhurried. Finding the magic in the middle of living. Capturing a life of ridiculous grace + raw stories.

13 thoughts on “If you’re gonna write…”

  1. A delightful list, Ruth! l love how you showed us how you “made time” for writing by making it a priority… and how writing is messy… while also showing us the joy that writing gives you by crafting your list in such a joyful way. (Glad to know I’m not the only one who gets so lost in writing (or reading, or working) that the veggies that were once hot get cold again, etc!) By the way, I think sitting around the table writing really IS quality family time — that says a lot about the kind of writers you are raising! 🙂

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  3. I can relate to all except the last one, you are REALLY lucky to have such a supportive husband! Thanks for sharing!

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  6. What a perfect list, and it can apply–I think– to anything we do with passion and wholehearted commitment, so much so that the entire world’s tuned out… You are an exceptional writer! You often make me smile with your creative words!

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  11. Loved the playfulness of the list — it probably felt like a cooldown exercise after everything else! Congratulations on finishing the book! Can’t wait to read it :).

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