What Makes You Smile?

The sun shines in my window and my eyes pop open. A smile crosses my face. I get to write today. I pick up my glass of water on my nightstand and I walk across the hall to my office. I push the button on my computer to turn it on. I walk into my bathroom and brush my teeth and wash my face. By the time I'm finished, my computer is ready to go. I avoid the internet for fear I'll be caught up in answering emails and leaving Facebook messages...because today is a writing day.

Word is the only program I open. I find my most recent manuscript and open the document. The first thing I do is check my word count and jot it down in my spreadsheet by the side of the current date. Then I read through my last chapter (more if it has been a while since I wrote) making minor changes as I read. Once I figure out where I'm going next, I put my fingers on the keyboard and my mind drifts away into another world.

If I'm having a day where I know where the story is going I'll generally keep writing for three or four hours before I break. Sometimes I'll take a break for breakfast or lunch. Sometimes I won't eat until dinner. If I get stuck I may eat earlier and try again, or I may open the internet and answer emails and visit my friends on Facebook. If I'm really stuck I'll get dressed, drive to the bay, and walk for an hour. It clears my head and then I return to the computer and start again. Sometimes it's dark or even dark-thirty when I finally finish for the day.

But all through the day, I catch myself smiling...because today is a writing day.

What makes you smile?

Teresa

http://www.teresaburrell.com