Why Is it?

Why is it I yearn to write my story every minute of every day, but when I’m asked (told) to prepare a business letter I cringe?

And it’s not that I can’t do it. I can. Sort of. But my first reaction is “UGH!”

I’ve written personal letters since I was 11. That’s when we moved from Wilmington (in Los Angeles County) to Santa Barbara (more than two hours north). That’s when I started writing to the friend I left behind.

I liked writing so much, I started responding to requests for pen pals (my parents belonged to the Independent Order of Foresters – an insurance agency that sent out a quarterly magazine, including a section to request pen pals). I didn’t have much luck there, so I put in my own ad (and then I found out why I didn’t have much luck – I got more responses than I knew what to do with!).

But I loved writing personal letters (loved receiving them more), even though I didn’t really have all that much to write about.

When I joined the Army, my pen pals dwindled. When I married, they practically disappeared. Then I found another form of writing I enjoyed – Procedures.

I document EVERYTHING. I write out how do to each job step by step so someone else can follow. And once the procedure is written, I fix it every time I find a mistake (or the procedure changes).

So, why is it I can’t write a simple business letter? What is it about them that make my skin crawl? Just what is the difference? I really want to know!

Why Is It?

Why is it when you’re in a hurry to get to work (or anywhere for that matter), you get behind a slow driver and can’t get around him?

That’s pretty much how I’m feeling about my writing right now. I want to work on my book. I want to finish my current edit before the RT Convention (and my pitch to an agent). But commitments are in my way and I want to honk my horn.

Of course, I have no one to blame but myself. I got myself into this predicament. I need to get myself out of it. If it means less sleep, then maybe that’s what I need to do. I can always sleep in May!