Book Shopping Time is Now Writing Time

From Kate’s Writing Crate…


(I had grand plans for my December blog posts, but illness has changed everything. I love the Backpack Literature course I'm auditing. I shouldn't have scheduled it during the holidays. Rather than rush it, I'm moving my next Backpack Literature review to January 30th.

I've moved up posts I wrote in advance so I can rest up and recover. Hope to be back on track with book reviews soon.)

          Not buying any more books for a year as discussed in my November 14th post has already freed up a lot more time for writing. I didn’t realize how often I visited online book-selling sites. Some people facebook. I just book.

         

         Almost daily, I used to check out new titles and titles-new-to-me. Between recommendations from friends, family, and coworkers and book reviews, something always piqued my interest. Sometimes I would buy, sometimes just put it in the cart.

I confess I buy more books than I delete. If you are a voracious reader who likes to make books her own with underlining and marginalia, it’s hard not to buy books. Since most of my friends and family give me bookstore certificates for gifts and I give myself a book budget, it's easy to buy books.

Also, I read every day. I read more than I do anything else—except writing on deadline.

Yes, this means I get up very early so I can read an hour or two before my day’s responsibilities start. I read while I watch TV and when waiting in lines or waiting for someone. I do my chores and run my errands as efficiently as possible so I have more time to read.

My jobs require reading so even when I’m working, I’m reading.

I need a steady stream of incoming books so I never have to scramble for books to review and so I’m never bored. However, I created a backlog for myself (buying ten more books than I read each year for a decade adds up); hence, the no buying of books for a year.

I’ve changed my habits. I’m not visiting online sites that sell books so I’m not tempted to browse or buy. If I hear about an interesting book, I look it up. If interested, I put it in my shopping cart and leave the web site. If I visit my local bookstore, I’m buying only a writing magazine or two.

Now I have more time to write. With the holiday season here, I’m trying to write my posts and book reviews in advance so I can enjoy all the festivities.

A big upside to my new way of life, I’m saving money. Since there are always bills to pay, a retirement to fund as well as opportunities for family fun, this money will be well spent or saved.

I never have and never will consider buying books a waste of money or reading a waste of time. I’m reading the same amount of time. I’ve merely narrowed down the book choices to those already in my home. 

Once I’ve caught up, I’ll go back to buying books. There will always be a backlog, but I’ll never let it build up to the point I have to stop buying books for a year—maybe only a month or two.

Reads for Writers: The Outermost House by Henry Beston Provides a Masterclass

From Kate’s Writing Crate…

As a reader, I always love finding books that appeal to me. As a writer, I am twice as pleased when the authors also provide masterclasses within their books.

          Masterclasses take place when performance artists and musicians work one-on-one with students. Writers don’t generally have this option, but I have found some books to be masterclasses for characters, backstories, plots, settings, voice and/or creativity.

          The Outermost House: A Year of Life on the Great Beach of Cape Cod by Henry Beston is the memoir of a writer who built a two-room house on Cape Cod overlooking the ocean. His keen observations on nature make this book a classic.

          Henry Beston was quoted by Mary Oliver in Blue Pastures on page 34. She highly recommended Chapter III “The Headlong Wave” in The Outermost House.

         

He devotes a single chapter—and it is no brief chapter—to a description of his constant companion, the ocean wave, that form, that long tumult, that energy with its “wisps of watery noise, splashes and counter splashes, whispers, seething, slaps and chucklings.”…He describes waves which come onto the beach on quiet days, windy days, long days of storm, and nights too… (page 45 in The Outermost House)

         

          In the summer of 1924, Beston began living for a year on Eastham Beach hearing the waves every moment, in every season, in all kinds of weather, seeing them during the day every time he looked out a window and anytime he took a walk. This familiarity led to inspiration. He writes 18 pages capturing waves in all their forms. It is a masterclass on verbs of muscle and adjectives of exactitude as extolled by Mary Oliver.

          My favorite passages in Chapter III are:

The rhythm of waves beats in the sea like a pulse in living flesh. It is pure force, forever embodying itself in a succession of watery shapes which vanish on its passing. (page 47)

Far out at sea, in the northeast and near the horizon, is a pool of the loveliest blue I have ever seen here—a light blue, a petal blue, blue of the emperor’s gown in a Chinese fairy tale. (pp. 49-50)

         

          Beston doesn’t limit himself to describing waves. He also records the variations of weather, seasonal changes, birds, insects, strolls, “treasures” washed ashore or away, and his own feelings and thoughts about solitude.

The dune bank was washing away…under the onslaught of the seas…there crumbled out the blackened skeleton of an ancient wreck…As the tide rose this ghost floated and lifted itself free…There was something inconceivably spectral in the sight of this dead hulk thus stirring from its grave and yielding its bones again into the fury of the gale. (page 88)

From the moment that I rose in the morning and threw open my door looking toward the sea to the moment when the spurt of a match sounded in the evening quiet of my solitary house, there was always something to do, something to observe, something to record, something to study, something to put aside in a corner of the mind. There was the ocean in all weathers and at all tides, now grey and lonely and veiled in winter rain, now sun-bright, coldly green, and marbled with dissolving foam…the little family gatherings of winter birds; there was the glory of the winter sky rolling out of the ocean over and across the dunes…(pp. 91-92)

          Great writing needs inspiration and time to observe, consider, scribble, rewrite, and edit. We can’t all go to a little cottage on the coast for a year, but we can make the most of the writing time we do have—jot, jot, jot until you can get back to your desk.

Better Ways to Spend Your Days?

From Kate’s Writing Crate…

          I read a lot so I cannot remember where I read about someone questioning whether there were better ways to spend your days than writing. I do remember thinking I should answer that question.

          For many, the answer is yes. Otherwise there would be many more books and blogs. On Kristen Lamb’s blog, WarriorWriters, she recently wrote that only 5% of writers finish their books.

          For me, the answer is no. I’m a writer. I’ve always been a writer. I’m sad/cranky/bored when I don’t write.

          Writing makes me think, makes me observant, makes me connect life’s dots.

As I go through my days, I take note of moments I want to write about later. As I pay more attention to my surroundings, my subconscious picks up on things I may miss at the time.  

When I have blank pages to fill, I rack my brain for these moments. My thoughts and observations help me make sense of life, especially my life.

That’s living at a deeper level than when I worked 9-5 at jobs I hated. I wasted time after work doing mindless things and being angry because I was unhappy—not better ways to spend my days.

          Is it difficult to fit writing into your days? Yes, there are often more fun things to do or more important things or more necessary things—laundry and dishes come to mind. Most ways to spend your days make your life a blur. You remember milestones, special events, tragic moments, but not a Thursday in September eight years ago. But if you write, you have a journal, a notebook entry on that day.

When I look back at my early notebooks and articles, part of me cringes. I hadn’t found my voice. I wasn’t organized. I used awkward phrases. I made mistakes—lots and lots of mistakes. But I can also see over many years of filling notebooks that I did find my voice. I organized my thoughts. My writing became less awkward and I made fewer mistakes.

Writing makes you a writer. If I’d been writing more through the years, I’d be an even better writer.

I had plans. I was excited about writing several different genres, but I gave in to unhappiness, anger, and exhaustion and gave up. My notebooks contained more whining than writing for a while.

For the last ten years, between writing articles and now blogging, I’m writing more. The more I write, the more I want to write. The more I write, the faster I write which creates time for even more writing. Want proof? I used to spend four or five hours on each of my posts when I was a new and nervous blogger. Now I write three posts in that same amount of time.

Recently, I’ve branched out into two other genres which I will write about in future posts because writing is a better way for me to spend my days.

Ten Things Every Writer Should Do (By Franz McLaren)

From Cheryl's Writing Crate

Hi Everyone,

It's been awhile since I've posted anything to this blog.  Ironically, my blogging partner, Kate, had a brilliant post recently called Does Writing Make You Happy?   I need to take some of her advice.  Life has truly gotten in the way leaving me not much time for anything more than working full time and caring for my 8 kids and our home.

With writing still one of my top passions, I thankfully find the time to read more often than write.  I just read an insightful article by Franz McLaren titled, Ten Things Every Writer Should Do and loved it so much I wanted to share it here with you.

I hope if you're struggling to find the time to write more as I am, you will at least find the time to read when you can and that will hopefully catapult you in to finding even a few minutes to get pen to paper and record some thoughts!   Enjoy the following great bits of advice from Mr. McLaren:

I’ve gotten asked by a lot of other authors about any sort of hints or tips of tricks that I could tell them to help them along.  If you’ve read my earlier posts, you know that I think that writing is a very personal experience, and therefore the process changes dramatically from person to person.  But, at this point, I have gotten asked enough that I finally decided to culminate all of the tips that I have found most helpful.

The following is a list of the top 10 things I believe a fiction writer should do. Most of these probably apply to all you nonfiction writers out there as well, but I’ll leave the official version of that list for one of you to develop. So, without further ado, here are the most crucial things every writer should do from my perspective:

Know the basics

Every writer must know the basics of grammar, spelling and punctuation. This is not to impress readers with how well we learned in school. If readers are paying more attention to mistakes than to plot, they will not be your readers for long.

Be original

Imitating another author’s style or rehashing an overused plot line is an easy way to lose readers. We have been blessed with only one Socrates, one Mary Shelley, one Stephen King. Many have tried to imitate them. Can you name one? While imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, it is also a certain path to obscurity.

Want to write

Writers write. It’s what they have to do. Writing requires long hours, tedious edits and rewrites and rarely pays enough to give up the day job. Many have tried writing because it seems a quick and easy path to success. After a few attempts, most find the day job is not so bad by comparison.

Accept obscurity

Writing is a lonely job. Writers spend many long hours hidden away, pecking a keyboard. For a short time, most writers will experience some notice, even admiration, from their social circle. However, as time passes and none of their work shows up on the New York Times bestseller list, friends and family smile knowingly when you claim the title of writer.

Find your audience

Not everyone will like what you write. It’s a fact. Few people south of the Mason-Dixon Line liked the Gettysburg Address. It is extremely difficult to persuade someone to like your work who does not like the genre you write. There are countless groups with interests in everything imaginable. A quick Google search is a good start. From there, try to develop connections that will grow your social circle.

Find a support structure

Writing requires far more self-motivation than the average day job. Writers have only themselves and whatever cheering squad they can put together. Most other professionals are surrounded by coworkers who know and understand the perks and stresses of their jobs. Writers have to seek others who share their compulsion and cultivate a support structure where they can find it.

Get feedback

Few writers can see all the inaccuracies or implications of their work with no feedback. As writers, we see our stories from within. Part of us or someone we have known goes into each character. Places we have seen or imagined have gone into each scene description. However, do they work for our target audience? We will never know unless we make ourselves accessible.

Accept criticism

Not all criticism is negative or valid, but all has the potential for being beneficial. Writers are mostly human. As such, we tend to learn from our mistakes. However, this only happens if we know what our mistakes are. None of us sits down to intentionally throw in a dangling plotline or a contradiction in place or time. Once in, the writer often fails to notice them, but few readers are as oblivious of our mistakes.

Have a thick skin

Because they have to remain accessible, writers are easy targets. They are criticized by those who do not agree with the believability of their characters, the probability of their plots or the choice of genre for their tale. They are subjected to abuse for not eagerly accepting every first draft offered for their opinion. They are vilified as greedy for not accepting a fifty-fifty split for every idea as long as they do all the writing, editing and promotion.

And of course, HAVE FUN!

As long as writing is inner driven, it is only attitude that keeps even its most onerous aspects from being fun. We all know the mental high of the first rush of creativity. Most of us dread the hours of rewrites and editing. Yet, if we are honest with ourselves, we do not do it for the readers. We write because it’s what we like to do. All jobs have aspects that are less fun than others, but that does not mean that all aspects are not fun.

 

You Know You're A Writer When

From Cheryl's Writing Crate

School vacation week is upon us once more!  I've never really agreed with the February school break because it comes so quickly after my kid's 2-week holiday vacation, and with all the snow days we've had this winter, they've barely had any real traction to their school schedule since 2014 arrived.

However, since the state of RI hasn't taken my suggestion of combining the February and April school vacations to one week in March instead, it is indeed a week my kids have been home therefore challenging me (in a good way!) to spend more time with them, and less time on my writing.

You'd think I'd have this down by now, seeing that my oldest of 8 is  now 20, but no matter how many school and summer vacations come my way, I still haven't quite gotten my writing and kid groove to mesh in harmony.  

Yesterday we spent the day at The Providence Place Mall where we had lunch, shopped and then spent countless hours at a game place called Dave & Busters.  While we were having lunch one of my son's asked me if I had any writing deadlines during vacation week.  Astonished but thrilled that he took the time to ask, I opened the door for some Q & A about a writer's life.  The conversation only lasted about 5 minutes, but I took that as a good sign that they are starting to understand the different components of a writer's life as compared to some of their friends' parents that work a 9 - 5 job and can then come home and turn off their work world and tune into their family zone.

Since I do work a 9 - 5 job, but also work just as many hours (if not more) as a writer, I thought I'd share one of my favorite posts 12 Signs That You are a Writer at Heart (and 3 signs you are not) posted on Hongkiat.com        You can read the full article by clicking on this link, but today I'm going to share my favorite five!

A Childhood Passion

Did you enjoy writing when you were young? If you enjoyed writing when you were a child, it could be a sign that you were meant to write. Children know what they like and tend to know what they will do with their life even if they cannot express it.

Take the child who is always concerned with the well being of others becoming a doctor or nurse, or the child who loved to sing being active in the church choir all her life. There are numerous examples.

Reading Is (Forever) A Hobby

Do you absolutely love to read? Writers read. It is just a fact of life for us. That is not to say that everyone who reads can write, but the writer is drawn to books like ants to a picnic. If you love to write and were always an avid reader, well… need I say more?

No Glory? No Problem

Have you ever considered living like a pauper, and still want to write? Have you ever considered the prospect that if you committed yourself to writing full time, you might live in poverty and yet, you still want to write? If the writing is more appealing to you than living poorly is unappealing, you have the bug. Do you have the talent?

"Tell Us A Story"

Do children prefer you tell them a story of your own making rather than from a book? Kids can spot a writer a mile away. The very first time you tell a story, you may as well hang a storyteller sign that only children can read, around your neck.

What’s That Word?

When you come across a word you do not recognize, Do You NEED To find Its meaning? Writers are wordsmiths. We love to come across words we do not understand and more often than not, we can fathom the meaning by simply reading it in a sentence or formulating the point of the paragraph.

Still, we have to know for sure. We had several dictionaries and a thesaurus or two lying around the house. Does this sound like you?

How did you know that you were born to write?

Writing with Power

From Kate's Writing Crate…

        Once you start writing on a regular basis—no matter what—you can write whenever and wherever you are. It's a powerful feeling. Quite simply, the more you write, the quicker the flow.

        Facing a blank page can still be scary, but you get past that fear the faster you start filling the page. There are two methods I use to get started writing blog posts.

        At any given time, I have several posts started, half finished, and/or in need of final polishing. I start my writing day working on one of these. With fresh eyes, I dive in. When I've taken the piece as far as I can, I'm warmed up so it is easier to face a blank page.

If I start out facing a blank page, then I turn to my list of the topics that I have published on this blog on a Word doc in date order. I have the next six months set up by week and fill in topics as I decide on them.

At the end of that list, I keep a constantly changing list of topics for future posts. I pick any one that catches my interest. Because I made this list in advance, the topics have been bubbling away in my subconscious. Things I don't remember considering show up on the page as I write. I follow these thoughts as far as I can then I go off on tangents just free writing to capture everything I want to say. I don't worry about spelling or punctuation or anything else. I just get the ideas down.

When the fever of words breaks, I take a breath and consider what I have written. Then I start reorganizing my thoughts then expanding upon them. I start to shape them into paragraphs. I delete lines and sections or save them for different posts. I usually work for 30-60 minutes. Then I close the document and work on another post or start editing for my magazine jobs. A day or two later, I start rewriting, revising, and polishing my work. This is my favorite part. It can take a lot of time and hard work, but this is what makes me—or anyone—a professional writer.

I don't stop until I feel the piece is complete, but even then I put it away for another day or two because fresh eyes catch awkward transitions and other errors.

        Blogging does not give me time to procrastinate. I have paid assignments that take priority, but, since I love to blog, I make the time to write, rewrite, and edit posts. That's what it means to be a writer—you have to make the time to write no matter what so the quicker you get started, the more time you have to write.

How do you get yourself to start writing?

The Stages of Writing in My Life

   

From Kate's Writing Crate…

        When I first learned to read and write, I dreamed of being a writer without any idea of how to become one. I knew I needed a desk, pen and paper. I pictured rows of my own books on the shelves behind my desk in my own home office, but I had no idea how what I wrote by hand turned into bound books.

        When I was a few years older, my favorite thing to do whenever I visited my grandparents was entering my grandpa's book-lined study (how I wished I had one of my own) and sitting in front of his ancient typewriter and pretending I was a writer. He kindly put paper in it so I could peck away writing about their all-white cat, Puffy.

        As a good student, I was praised for my essays so I thought, "I can be a writer." When I made my High School English teacher—a gruff, stern man who scared me—laugh, I thought, "I am a writer." But what's the next step?

        I took as many English classes as I could in college. I wrote in journals but sporadically as inspiration hit me. Then I discovered Natalie Goldberg's advice to fill a notebook a month in her book Writing Down the Bones. That got me writing regularly.

        Years later, I started off as an unpaid proofreader after my corporate day job. I worked my way up to staff writer and editor of one, then two, then four publications. Now I had to write on deadline. No procrastination. No waiting for inspiration.

Being new to the professional side of writing, the pressure of deadlines forced me to write. Eventually, I could complete three to eight articles a month as needed. I could also turn out last minute articles if something fell through. Now I felt and acted like a professional writer.

        Then Cheryl suggested we start this blog where we would encourage anyone interested in writing to become a writer. Excited and apprehensive, I made a list of topics I wanted to cover. The new weekly deadline made this a professional endeavor, but I wanted it to be fun so I started waiting to be inspired.

I publish on Mondays. Sometimes I started writing on Thursdays or Fridays or even Sundays. I finished up my posts between my weekend activities.

However, my paid writing and editing assignments had to take priority, so I didn't always have time to wait for inspiration for my posts. I had to become a professional blogger. I had to write posts when I had the time to write posts not just when I was inspired.

As most professional writers note, the simple secret is to put your butt in a chair and write. Writing on demand is an important discipline to learn. Furthermore, as E. M. Forster wrote, "How do I know what I think until I see what I say."

Now I have reached that stage of writing—and it is surprisingly fun and inspiring!

The Reality of Writing

 From Kate's Writing Crate…

          For most of us, writing is a calling we answer sporadically. We live busy lives and writing is more of a dream than a priority. 

          The reality is writing is work. It's something we need to do on a regular basis; if not 9-5, then at some point 5-7 days a week. We each need to face a blank page and fill it—and continue filling them until our projects are complete however long it takes. We have to pay our bills, but we also have to pay our dues.

     

          The reality is writing is hard work. Writing down random thoughts, ideas, and feelings are a start. Shaping them into essays, posts, articles, short stories, poems, songs, scripts, novels, and books takes time and effort. Rewriting and editing them takes even more time and effort, but that's what makes us working writers, paid or not. When you finish a piece, you have succeeded. (Sending it to agents, magazines, or publishers is additional work, but that's what it takes to get paid.)

    

The reality is writing is really hard work. We not only have to face blank pages, we also have to face our insecurities, detractors, and fears. That's a heavy load to pick up along with our pens and laptops, but we have to be brave and dedicated. We have to believe in ourselves and in our projects. We have to work to finish them.

      

          The reality is writing is really hard work we love. What is more exciting than having a character we created come to life on the page or the stage? A feature article? An inspiring stanza? Moving lyrics? Holding your book in your hands? What's not to love about writing?

       

The reality is writing is really hard work we love and hate. There are frustrating days where words will not come, characters will not talk, and inspiration does not strike. Discouraged, we don't want to be alone facing blank pages. Projects seem too big or too insignificant. Deadlines are too far away or too close. Life's joyful, tragic, and mundane events affect us, too. No matter what, keep writing. It's just that simple. 

The reality is writing is really hard work we love and hate but do anyway. That's what makes us writers in reality.

   

Are you a working writer?

No Time To Write!

From Cheryl's Writing Crate

As the mother of 8 kids, I love telling the story of how I became an empty nester while they were still all at home.  Last year, my youngest child ventured off to all-day kindergarten.  As bittersweet as this was, moments after she left on the bus for her 7 plus hour day away from me, I sat on the couch rubbing my hands together thinking about how many novels I would write that year—after all, I was now going to be an empty nester for 35 hours a week!

I guess I got a little ahead of myself because after just 2 weeks of her being in school all day, not only did I not write a single chapter of a single book, I never even sat at my computer to write out a grocery list, as I foolishly started filling my blank days with obligations like food shopping in peace and quiet, taking the dog for three walks instead of one, reorganizing the laundry room and so on and so on.  By the end of the school year, I literally had done less writing than I used to while juggling toddlers and pre-schoolers at home by myself 24/7.

Luckily, I came across a wonderful book called Writers First Aid written by Kristi Holl.  It was a fun, easy read loaded with practical tips to get organized and get more writing done.  One of my favorite chapters was called, But I don’t have time!  It struck a chord with me because she shared a very insightful story that changed my perspective on making time to write.   Perhaps you'll recognize it:

One day an old professor was invited to lecture on the topic of Efficient Time Management, so goes the tale.  Standing in front of this group of elite managers he said, "We are going to conduct an experiment".  The professor pulled out a big glass jar and gently placed it on the table. Next, he pulled out from under the table a bag of stones, each the size of a tennis ball, and placed the stones one by one in the jar. He did so until there was no room to add another stone in the jar.

Lifting his gaze to the managers, the professor asked, "Is the jar full?" The managers replied, "Yes". The professor paused for a moment, and replied, "Really?" Once again, he reached under the table and pulled out a bag full of pebbles. Carefully, the professor poured the pebbles in and slightly shook the jar, allowing the pebbles to slip through the larger stones, until they settled at the bottom. Again, the professor lifted his gaze to his audience and asked, "Is the jar full?" At this point, the managers began to understand his intentions. One replied, "Apparently not!" "Correct", replied the old professor, now pulling out a bag of sand from under the table.

Cautiously, the professor poured the sand into the jar filling up the spaces between the stones and the pebbles. Yet again, the professor asked, "Is the jar full?" Without hesitation, the entire group of students replied in unison, "NO!" "Correct", replied the professor. The professor reached for the pitcher of water that was on the table, and poured water in the jar until it was absolutely full.  

The lesson was brilliant—the jar represents a resource in general, and time specifically. What is true about time is also true about most resources, especially life itself. The jar has a certain fixed or finite capacity. It could not be stretched or enlarged. Similarly, our days are all 24 hour cycles. They can neither be shortened nor elongated.

When I seem to hit a period where I struggle thinking I don’t have enough time to get my writing done, I reach for this story, and it always makes me think outside the “jar” and figure out where I can sneak some writing in between those big rocks in my life that take up lots of time.

What do you do to find more time to write?

Writing in Comfort Almost Anywhere in a Folding Writer's Chair

From Kate's Writing Crate... 
   

This is not a paid endorsement--just a chair style I discovered, love, and want to share with other writers because it gives us the freedom to create in comfort anywhere.  

I love to write. I have a notebook and several pens near me at all times in case inspiration strikes, but it's uncomfortable to write for long without a desk and chair so imagine my excitement when I discovered a folding writer's chair. Yes, I know it's technically considered a student's chair, but I am a writer so it's a writer's chair for me.     

      
         You remember the efficient furniture we

used in school--desks attached to chairs.

They're easy to slide around a room, but

difficult to pick up and move any real
 
distance. Convenient, but not mobile—until

now!
 

            I can take my folding writer's chair with the
 
tablet arm into any room in the house or out
 
on the porch. In a city, I'd take out on to a
 
rooftop.

 

            I can take it out in the yard to be with family and/or the dogs and write as long as I wish. It's a bit unwieldy, but I can take it to the woods where I walk the dogs and sit writing while serenaded by birds, feeling the cool breeze, completely surrounded and inspired by nature.     

I can get up early and record my thoughts as the sun rises then later turn the desk around to enjoy the gorgeous sunset outside pen in hand, notebook on desk.    

I can put it in the car and go to a park. I can use it at the outdoor summer concerts in town sitting at the edge of the crowd inspired by live music. I can take it to a beach, lake, river, or pond.     

I also bought a pen with a light in the tip so I can write under the stars. That's truly inspiring! I feel at once both infinitesmal and infinite as part of an awe-inspiring universe. It opens my mind to all sorts of possibilities.     

Now I can't wait until the fireflies arrive. I can sit out at dusk and watch them flash each other. I've always felt they were magical—nature's twinkling lights decorating our yards in celebration of warm weather. And now my glowing pen and I can be writing outside with them, a part of the magic.

Does writing comfortably anywhere appeal to you?