Better Letters

Creativity is a funny thing. There is always a bit of a letdown after the completion of a big project. Most creative people already know what project they'll work on next, but starting can be a bit difficult. We -know- we should be doing it, but we tend to procrastinate. We do other things, like clean the studio, but mostly we putter around, avoiding the thing we know we should be doing.

One of my bosses put his finger on it years ago when he asked me "Have you started that new drawing yet? I think you have to get going. When you're not drawing you get snarky."  I liked this guy, and he had verbalized something I hadn't been aware of. I was happiest when I was creating.

I'm not happy with the low contrast letters and have to drag myself into the studio to work on them. When I do work on them, I don't work consistently or well. I putter. I dilly-dally.

I knew I was getting into that snarky place when even the lovely weather we had on Sunday didn't make me feel good. Another big clue was when I found myself rewriting a section of my book in my head as I was driving to work the other morning.

So last night I did NOT go into the sewing studio. Instead I collected my nicely printed pages, sat down in the big recliner (so Millie could sit next to me), and started editing. Since I finished the first draft, I read William Zinsser's book On Writing Well. Now I am putting his advice to work, striking out excessive words, many useless adjectives and adverbs. (See that crossed out "many"? Zinsser says it's unnecessary, and he's right.)

I woke up this morning much happier and in a better mood.  I'm actually feeling almost gleeful!



P.S. Thank you Mr Zinsser, and you too, Mr King.