Waking up after a long sleep

I’ve shook my head and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes.

"About time you woke up, lad.”

I stared at the man who looked at me with a piercing gaze. Oval face, prominent nose, hair combed straight back, a neatly trimmed Van-Dyke beard. “How did I. . . Who are. . .”

“Make up your mind, lad.”

“Let’s start with the first question. How long have I been here—sleeping?”

“A long while. I haven’t been here all the time, but I’d guess a couple of years—maybe more. What are you doing down here with the likes of us?”

I think I figured out the identity of the man. “You wrote some of my favorite novels. “East of Eden”, for instance.”

He gave me a small nod.

“Any advice about writing for a neophyte like me?”

He stroked his chin a moment. “Write freely and as rapidly as possible and throw the whole thing on paper. Never correct or rewrite until the whole thing is down. Rewrite in process is usually found to be an excuse for not going on. It also interferes with flow and rhythm which can only come from a kind of unconscious association with the material.”

Interesting thought – to re-write while doing that first draft could be an excuse for not going on. I’ll have to keep that in mind.

Until next, time, that’s it from The Storyman. . .