Monday, November 24, 2008

Kicking Box and the Writer

Kicking the box is kicking the routine, kicking the expected. As a writer, I'm always seeking a new concept, a new view, something I hadn't seen before. I'm pretty open. That's just the way I am.

On writing: I write everyday. When an aspiring writer asks me how to get published, I tell them to write everyday, send it out, and then write something new. You create a kind of perpetual motion for yourself of writing and sending it out into the world. I've learned over time to worry less, have less angst, and just enjoy the process. What I'm writing now makes me giggle all over the place. If you're not having fun when you write, do something else.

On cold winter days, I can think of nothing but writing. Well, I do think of kickboxing too, but it's more of a release, an emptying of everything. When I come back from kickboxing, I have a clearer perspective for writing.

Snow also creates a clearer perspective, as everything slows down when it snows. I love writing a piece that vibrates with excitement. A lot of writers tend to rush. I know all about that. I'm an associate editor of a magazine. Too many of the stories we receive were not given their full justice by their writer, because he or she rushed through it.

Ah, Thanksgiving. Turkey, family, and writing. I'm looking forward to it.