Back to the Basic Basics

There was a time when a pad of paper, a dictionary, some bottles of ink and my fountain pens were all I needed when I sat down to write. This was before the ubiquity of laptops and personal computers. Over the years, I put all of those things (i.e., prehistoric writing instruments and accoutrements) away. I didn't need them. Everything I wanted was literally at my fingertips as I stared at an illuminated screen. It's taken me years to recognize that computers, while being a wonderful godsend for someone who types much faster than she can write, are of the Devil in many ways. I am easily distracted when I sit down in this chair. The internet calls to me.

I wonder if so and so updated his blog.

Is the tide high or low right now?

Oh yeah!! I forgot I wanted to buy that CD. Maybe it's on Amazon.

I can sit in front of the computer amusing myself all day long. As interesting as my journeys around the internet are, they also tend to be counterproductive. I usually get much less done than I wanted.

So, with the new year comes new intentions. I do not make resolutions. I'm of the Nike school of thought. "Just Do It." When a new intention comes to me near the end of a year, I'll usually table it until the new year begins. Such is the case with me and my writing. I will continue to blog, edit and entertain myself with the computer. My serious writing, however, will involve putting pen to paper. When you're sitting there looking at a blank sheet of paper, you're forced to do what you sat down to do. There are no convenient distractions.

I may post some of the writing, if I actually get something of substance written, on the blog. We shall see. I'm toying with the idea of writing some surf-related fiction. Just because.