Let's Talk with Diane A.S. Stuckart
Let’s Talk with Diane A.S. Stuckart
September 19, 2019
Ticket to Write
By Diane A.S. Stuckart
A few years back, a car accident happened right in front of me while I was on my way to work. After the police got things under control, they asked me to fill out a witness report. And so I took the clipboard the responding officer handed me and started writing.
About ten minutes later, he came back for the report, only for me to explain that I was still working on it. He returned to what he was doing, and I kept writing. Another ten minutes passed, and the cop reappeared, tapping at my car window.
“Ma’am, are you done yet?”
“Sorry, “I said as I finished scribbling my concluding sentence and handed over the clipboard. “I’m a writer.”
I’ve thought a lot about what it’s like to “be” a particular something 24/7/365. For example, many years ago I taught yoga. 
Even when I wasn’t leading a class, I felt I had to keep that mindful spirit constantly about me.
It wasn’t always easy, particularly when I got cited one morning for rolling through a stop sign. Worse, I ended up in ticket school a couple of weeks later with one of my yoga students. Embarrassing!
Of course, “being” a doctor or a lawyer or a cop like that poor man waiting on my report is quite a bit different from being a writer. For one thing, we don’t have a badge or stethoscope or an official piece of paper proclaiming our profession. But we know who we are, and it’s a blessing and a curse.
On the one hand, we can write a heartfelt thank you note or a letter of congratulations sure to please. On the other, we might agonize over those four or five lines for an hour or more before we’re satisfied. Same thing with emails. And excuse notes to teachers. And so on. We don’t dare simply dash off a few words and be done with it, because someone will read them…and, we’re sure, judge them.
Just so you know, these 400-odd words have been on my computer screen for most of the day. I have tweaked and deleted and added to this blog entry numerous times. At this point, I need to send it on, so I have finally declared The End. But when it’s posted here, I’ll see something I wish I had changed, and I’ll agonize over it once again.
Because, sorry, I’m a writer.
So, do you have hobby or a profession that you feel you must live up to at all times?
Posted in Let's Talk, with Diane A.S. Stuckart • Tags: BLB Discussion, Diane A S Stuckart, Let's Talk, professionalism, Ticket to Write, writer | 17 Comments
Diane, I completely understand… there’s always something I want to add or rewrite.
It takes nerves of steel to drop that rope when you’re a writer!
I know authors who drop everything to sit down and read their latest book the moment they receive their author copies. However, most authors I know never read their books once they’re published because they know they’d want to tweak their words yet again. We always have something more or better to add, no matter how many drafts we went through before the final version hit the presses.
You know, I never read my books once they are in print except to look up a fact I’ve forgotten for a book later in that series. When I do read them, I kind of squint my eyes, all uncomfortable, so I can pretend they’re not really my words. Well, unless I realize they are brilliant. Then I will claim them. 🙂
As I’m an APRN (certified nurse midwife) and the nurse in me comes out all the time. Most of my friends including my author friends have seen me in action.
Risa, that has to be difficult if not impossible to turn off! While you’re here, can I show you this mole on my arm? KIDDING!
I so get this, Diane. I go back and correct emails to my family, shortening a phrase, changing a word here and there, rearranging. It’s the writer in me, too.
Our burden to bear, LOL!
Texting is the bane of my existence. I want to edit, rearrange and revise, but that TINY little keyboard frustrates my attempts. I’m embarrassed when typos get through.
I know lots of people have a sig line on their texts that says something like “dictated to my phone so excuse any typos”. I have tried and failed at thumb typing — I’m such a relic, I guess.
I never understand why the typos appear after I hit send for emails and texts. All of the font is getting smaller, and I need to learn to dictate my texts into my phone instead of one-fingering in all the words. Not much gets edited in texts for me – too much work. However, I am guilty of writing and rewriting blogs and emails. Often this editing adds errors as I get the new stuff in, but some fragment of the old wording remains. It’s maddening, especially when you want to present your best writerly sde in anything to do with words. I’m gonna take a chance and not reread this…
LOL, I always give people the benefit of the doubt when I see typos in texts and emails since I assume they were in a hurry or else they counted on spellcheck to make the fixes for them, and spellcheck fell down on the job!
As a writer, we see things with the writer’s eye whether we want to do so or not. A scene might spark a story idea, or it might set our mind thinking about how we would describe it. This isn’t something we can shut off at will. It’s part of who we are. And being wordsmiths is part of this. We like words. We admire them or rail at them or try to make them better. But eventually, we have to let them go. We can’t deny our calling. It’s part of our nature.
Nancy, well said…and absolutely!
I am a Medical Lab Tech and find myself checking out everybody’s veins, rating how hard or easy it would be to draw their blood.
The old vampire side-eye, ha ha.
Definitely agree with you!