WORDS in ACTION

Last night I sat up (well. it was late for me!) to watch ‘The Diving Bell and the Butterfly’.  I had worked on various bits of admin until the back of ten and wanted something different to divert my mind.  I’d never seen this film about the editor of Elle who suffered ‘locked-in syndrome’ after a severe and rare sort of stroke.  He wrote his memoir by blinking ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to suggested letters of the alphabet arranged in order of frequency of use. 

This morning I’m beginning my ‘official’ writing time. Some weeks ago I blocked out some weeks over the summer for writing and reading – the non-fiction I was on about the other day.  I’m not completely free of work-related tasks but I have a plan.  Morning is my best time for  any sort of creative endeavour.  So, no email switched on until the afternoon.  Phone on voicemail.  What am I about to work on?  How will I go about it?  I’ll be blogging about that – it’s a way of observing my own progress. 

The experience of Jean Dominique Bauby puts in perspective the typical moans of the writer.  How agonisingly slow to dictate letter by letter. Apparently his early mornings were for memorising what he planned to ‘write’ so that it was in his head ready when his amanuensis arrived.  Time to begin.  It will be facinating to read the actual book but not yet!