Like Riding A Bike

Someone once told me that getting into writing again was a little like riding a bike. I’ve never been sure it was quite that intuitive. It seems I just get back into the swing with one type of writing when I find myself re-rememberimg a different type. In my college days, as news editor of the school paper, it wasn’t unheard of for me to be writing three, or four, articles a week for the paper. With the news writing on top of my academic work, any novel writing became a joke. Since graduating, I gradually reclaimed the novel, but left my journalistic skills to tarnish.

Now, faced with four articles to write before the month’s end, I’m feeling a little overwhelmed. By all accounts, four articles a pithy amount when it’s spread over an entire month, so I’m unsure of what exactly accounts for my waning and waxing confidence. Maybe it’s the sudden emphasis on word count (I’m accustomed to writing articles however long it takes to get all the information out) or the fact that someone’s actually paying me to write that has me all flustered. Gone are the days of personally deeming things “good enough” and in are those of others judging my work.

The rough draft of the first article due is nearly done. It took longer to hammer out than I thought it would. Part of the problem is that I’m exhausted. Another problem is the plethora of information I’ve gathered in the interviewing process and trying to determine what to focus on without bounding past my word count. With fresh eyes, it will all be easier.

December’s here. Two inches of snow last night. The Christmas cards are addressed.

I’m off to the big city this weekend and am very much looking forward to a change of scenery and a chance to run errands and catch up with a good friend. The laptop’s coming with me though just in case there’s a spare moment to get some work done.