The Wolf In Sheep's Clothing

You might wonder what it's like, doing a daily blog. I'm not certain I can answer that question as easily as I can ask it. What comes to mind is having something to write about in the first place. Some days it's almost humorous how easy it can be and when it's like that, I quickly forget or conveniently ignore, the other days -- the ones when the computer screen and I are locked in a stare-down match, daring each other to blink.

On those days, you scour for an idea, looking at what you've done lately a

nd hoping you're not repeating yourself. The last thing you want is for an essay to be like a wolf in sheep's clothing -- pull back the wool and it's what you said two weeks ago. So, you prowl your favorite inspirational hangouts for an idea or maybe you just say the heck with it and begin writing. It's like priming an old hand-powered water pump: you have to add some water to start the flow.

Once the words have your attention, then you've got to follow where they lead, even if it looks like nowhere you've ever been. Stick with them long enough and even when you're thinking, this is awful, reading back over it, you can be surprised. Then again, it may be the kind of writing that makes you think the author should be prohibited by law from ever getting near a keyboard, and you start over from the beginning or the middle or wherever things turned sour.

When you've gotten near the end, you start wondering what's the point and will it mean anything to someone else. True, sometimes it doesn't matter all that much because the readers are going to take away whatever works for them anyway. But the goal is to try to make that process easier if you can. Then you edit, do a spell check, make sure the photo fits neatly, and hope someone stays on the page long enough to get to the last word.

But what's it like? It's like taking hold of something that's never been outside the confines of yourself, holding it by your fingers, and seeing it for the first time. It's revelation and incarnation all at once. It's like encountering someone you've known for years but never actually met. It's really pretty remarkable. And it never gets old.


(Public domain image via Wikipedia)