Writing away

Have I ever caught the writing bug! I've always been a writer at heart, scribbling stories and scripts and poetry and journals, and, more lately, blogs. I haven't written much in the past 5 years or so. Sure, I've been busy with pregnancies and babies, but it hasn't even been that. I always found it much harder to write in periods of life when I'm content. There is something about angst and unsettled feelings that lend themselves to writing. Writing is cathartic, I suppose.

At any rate, with two Christmas programs to write, I was starting to psych myself up into writing mode again. Then, a new opportunity presented itself to write a short film script for a church production. I accepted the assignment without hesitation. It wasn't until I got home that I started to worry a little. Did I still have it in me to write something like this? Penning my own life experiences on a blog is one thing - that is simply recording what happens day to day, and what thoughts are swirling in my head. But this - this was something that could potentially evolve into paid work!

As I sat down last night to start the research and reading and maybe even writing, I accidentally happened across an opportunity to submit an essay on motherhood, for consideration for publication in a book! I was excited just thinking about it! Inspiration started flashing through my mind. My fingers were itching to get typing to express the ideas overflowing. I looked for the submission deadline - two weeks away! My heart sank. That would never be enough time.

I started to push it from my mind, but then reconsidered. I had a few hours in the evening to spare. I would just start writing and see what happened.

I wrote for a couple of hours, and found that I easily met the 2500 word quota. Words tumbled into sentences as thoughts formed on the page. When I came to the end, I reread it once, then attached it to an email and sent it off. Just like that! I knew that I didn't have time to mull it over and make revisions. If I did that, I might forget and let the deadline slip by. No, this was the way to do it. If the editors liked it, I'm sure they would let me make a few revisions, if they felt it necessary.

In the hours after I sent it, of course I had more ideas, other lead-ins, different stories, more concise ways to express myself. But it was done. My hope now is that, should it be the direction they want to take, the editors will see something in the natural manner in which I wrote.

Then, this morning, I pulled out the research again for the short film, and in less than an hour I had the script written. Many artists will talk about true inspiration as being simply expressing something that is already there. For example, a music composer will say they simply heard the song first and were just putting it on paper. Or, a sculptor will say that the statue was already there, hidden in the marble, and they simply had to chip away the parts that didn't belong to reveal the work of art beneath. That is how it was for me this morning - the film was already playing in my mind, and I just had to get it down into script format.

What a rush! I feel exhilarated! Now I've got those two Christmas programs to pull together. But after that, perhaps there are a few more things swirling in my mind waiting to be written...