Enjoying the Hike
“I write to find out what I think”
Stephen King
What Am I Thinking
That’s really what I’m trying to figure out here. When I sit to write, I feel like I’m just going on a mental hike. I have some ideas of what will happen. I know I like the process. I know I like seeing it all unfold. But really, each new hike holds plenty of mystery. Where exactly will this path lead? What will I see? What will I learn? What will I find?
I’ve heard several writers use some variation of Stephen’s quote, and I find this fascinating. It’s good to hear that this is true for “the pros” because it is certainly true for this novice. I enjoy how my mind likes to surprise me as I discover what I’m thinking.
Where Am I Going
I know I will write today. That’s a given. I know I will be exploring my thoughts, though I rarely know where these thoughts are headed when I lace up my fingers and begin walking across the keyboard. I find myself meandering about, my fingers patiently waiting for my mind to direct their path, when out of nowhere, I see it begin to take form. There they are! My thoughts! I’m continually surprised how these seemingly random ideas slowly reveal themselves and begin to take form into these relatively coherent statements. I often feel like a spectator just wondering how these wanderings are finding their way out of the fog in my mind to the black lines that stripe the page. It’s a fun game to watch my mind explore. It’s fun to find out where I’m going with this.
What I Do With It
Writers often recommend writing and publishing on the schedule, and I’ve found this to be a good practice. It puts a little pressure on myself to put in the daily, consistent work so I can “release” these pieces to my small little world. Ready or not, here they come. Strunk and White would likely argue I’m much closer to “not” than “ready” but that’s okay. My weekly goal is just to work on a piece throughout the week and publish it on Thursdays, or Fridays, and sometimes Saturdays. The practices seems to work. Each week I'm showing up, finding out what I’m thinking, and sharing what I’m thinking. That’s what I do with it.
Where Do We Go From Here
To those of you who don’t write, I don’t know how you do it. How do you get your thoughts together? How do you figure out what you’re thinking? I can’t imagine a day without logging those miles on the trails in my mind. I enjoy painting the pictures of my discoveries with these simple weekly posts. Now please keep in mind that I am fully aware of my deficiencies as a literary consumer and producer, but I’m simply compelled to hike the trail, click the keyboard, and enjoy the mystery. I also enjoy sharing these hikes with those of you kind enough to humor me by following along. I'ts gotta be a struggle so God bless you for hanging in there with me. Anyway, that’s what I like to do with it, so where do we go from here? Great question. Glad I asked it for you. The answer is I don’t know. I’m just enjoying the adventure. I’m enjoying the hike. Thanks for coming along.
I hope you enjoy the hike, and
I hope you enjoy the day.
