Tiptoeing on Fingertips

The first word is the hardest word to write. When you one-finger-type you can’t waste words without knowing what you are going to say. I don’t usually sit at the computer to write without knowing what my first line is. I sit around and think about what I want to say or play the scene out in my head like I’m watching it on TV. My teachers used to call it daydreaming—like it was a bad thing! I call it prewriting, and I think it’s a very good thing.

            When I finally sit down and the words start tiptoeing onto the computer screen, they sometimes take the story in a different direction from where I imagined it would go. But it doesn’t matter, because I’m already writing. The story is flowing, and it takes me to basically the same ending. But sometimes it just goes where it goes, and I’m along for the ride not knowing where the next turn is until I get there. Sometimes it’s a rollercoaster ride, sometimes a leisurely Sunday drive. Either way, it’s an adventure.

And all because of iced tea. Oh yeah, I didn’t tell you about iced tea yet. I’ll tell you about that later.