A Glimpse of the Writing Life

By Ruth de Jauregui

Since April Fool's Day is just past, I can talk about the author/writer life and you'll know I'm not kidding.

First, most writers are not rolling in the dough. LOL, a lot of us can buy a cup of (cheap) coffee when the royalty check arrives. There are exceptions, of course. I know writers who sell thousands of books. In fairness, they're good, they're very prolific, and have 30 or 40 books out.

The rest of us? Well, some of us have day jobs or other income, so we don't depend on our writing income to pay the bills. (Thank goodness!)

"Nevermore..."

I know, there's this image of the writer hunched over the typewriter and pecking out their novel in a dusty garret while a raven croaks in the window. Well, there's a little truth there. We do hunch over the keyboard, and the room might be dusty, but then again…

The local coffee shop is one fav for writers. Yes, free wifi and readily available coffee are advantages, but we're just as likely to be writing an article on Organic Pest Control (for money!), a blog post or posting cat pictures on social media instead of working on the next Great American Novel.

My writing attire -- jammies!

On the other hand, there's those of us who prefer to work at home. If they're like me, they don't dare show you the workspace or office. Stacks of books and papers with a coffee cup perched precariously at the elbow. No cute clothes or fedora set at a rakish angle. Oh my no. I can't speak for all writers, but I'm usually in my jammies. Unless I had to work at the day job, then I might still be in my work clothes. Jeans, sweatshirt and tennies. (Yes, really!)

Oh, so true. If only we could teach them to edit.

A cat on the keyboard, or a dog underfoot, ready for any crumbs dropped or sandwiches carelessly left alone for a minute, complete the picture.

Naturally, there's writers who are completely disciplined with immaculate desks who crank out 2,000 to 10,000 words a day. LOL, but that wouldn't be me…

In all seriousness, the workspace, your attire, the dog underfoot, nonfiction, fiction, articles or blog posts -- none of that makes a difference. What makes you a writer is your sheer determination to sit down and put the words out. All the rest are just details.

A Sneak Peek at works in progress: www.ruthdj.weebly.com

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