Sunday 3 April 2011

I was writing while I was

pedalling yesterday. I do this. If I want to write I have to find moments like this. When I try and explain this to the occasional interested individual I can see that I am not believed. You cannot, it seems, pedal a bicycle or tricycle or take a walk or swim or do any other physical activity - and write. Nonsense. I do it all the time. Of course I do not physically write it down but I can have a conversation with a character in my head. I can ask, "Now come on tell me, what exactly did you say on that occasion?" or "What do you mean it did not happen that way?" I try not to mutter to myself as I do this. That might mean getting a worse reputation than I already have. I also endeavour to watch not just the traffic but the occupants of the vehicles. "You did not wave!" is a serious accusation, a breach of protocol, a slight that is not lightly forgiven. "Sorry, I was writing" is not an acceptable excuse. All this makes writing while pedalling rather more difficult but I cannot help myself. So far I have not ended up going in the opposite direction to the one I intended but it has been a near thing. "Now where am I going? Just stop thinking about writing for a moment and get this straight." It is when I get to my destination that things get really interesting. I have been known to stand outside and scribble something down. I will write something down while waiting at the bank or in the post office - it is never more than a few words. I rarely look at them again. The act of writing them down is usually enough for me to remember them and what I meant by them. It does not always work that way of course. I do not always remember. If my concentration is interrupted then I can find it impossible to go back to what I was doing. That happens frequently when I am out and about. Yesterday I had to go to a meeting. I arrived and went in pen and notebook at the ready. I wanted to write down just one word. Almost immediately someone tried to speak to me and then I heard the absolutely magic words from someone else, "Shhhh...wait a moment. Cat's writing something."

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cat,

You have at least one person in your circle who appreciates that you are a writer ... even if one word at a time!

Judy B

PS Just as the flu season is about to start, my word verification is 'flutax' .... hope this isn't a hint the the government are about to tax us if we get the flu!

Anonymous said...

And what were you writing Cat? Chris

catdownunder said...

It will spoil the fun if I tell you Chris!

Kath said...

How wonderful! I'm still waiting for someone - anyone! - to say "Shhhh...wait a moment. Kath's writing something."

Everyone in my family either talks at me or phones me or visits me when I'm in the middle of writing. Maybe one day it'll happen and I'm sure it'll be just as magical as you made it sound.