Writing Out Loud

Several folks commented and pulled me aside at church yesterday to tell me that I should write the book I'm going to be working on in November (and, as an aside, making The Diner a lower priority and open only on sporadic whims--which I know will be bad for business, but it's a non-profit anyway and if the service went away, folks would find other Diners to hang out in) out loud here in The Diner.

In other words, just write things here and everybody follows it as it's being written.

So, let me explain why that's an utter impossibility.

First, writing is a solitary and lonely activity. It's you alone with thoughts and ideas and expressions of that idea. A sneeze can interrupt and ruin the moment. A simple awareness that others are eyeballing the writing process affects what you do, and a sneeze can remind you that others might possibly look over your shoulder, which will inhibit the writer.

Second, writing a book is really better in the editing than in the writing. In other words, once you write, it's better to go back and slice out every word/phrase/tangent that isn't the story or find better words/phrases/storylines. So, a book is a process that starts with a free-flow of ideas and then moves toward a laser-focus. And, I'm not ready to put the process out there for people to consume it. It would ruin the end product for those who followed through the process.

Third, it's a personal act of worship/expression as this particular work is only justifiable to me in that realm. Any and all outside commenting or constructive criticism would make it a group project, which is fine if that's what it started out to be. But this is deeply personal and will involve a great deal of introspection. It simply isn't for this venue...although that might be a fun project for another time.

Finally, writing brings out lots of insecurities and doubts and fears and shining flashlights onto all sorts of various skeletons in our closets. There are cobwebs and spiders and creepy-crawlies you find when you do something like this, and just the understanding that those are there somewhere isn't something you want the world to see even if your flashlight never reveals the ones you thought it would. Now, I don't mind a finished product being put out there for folks--the idea is that it will minister to those that read it, so I'm going in with the very reality that others will read it and plan on the finished/edited project to reveal those things. But I'm not comfortable with letting the patronage in on all the little spiders/snakes/demons I run into along the way.

So, this particular project won't be open fodder for you folks. Maybe later, okay?

I hope you "get it," because I value our little coffee time together and would like to keep it...

...and I feel pretty sure that if I do finish the book, we can work something out where patrons can get an electronic copy here and there and can help with final edits/test readings and such.

Deal?