Do It for the Joy
On summer, skateboards, and writing only when you’re ready
I’ve never been into football. Soccer, for some of you. At one time I sort of watched it, but this World Cup I don’t think I’ve seen a single match. I’m quite happy to wake up in the morning, check the results, and that’s that.
Yesterday looked like a strange one. I didn’t expect England to beat France, and not so convincingly. I saw the highlights. That’s enough for me. It’s just not my sport.
When Summer Had a Sport
When I think about it, though, summer used to have a sport whether you liked it or not. When we were kids, when the World Cup was on, we all played football all summer. When the Olympics were on, we were always having races. When tennis was on, we tried to play tennis without tennis rackets. And the Tour de France meant cycling races around the block, of course.
I remember one thing from back then that was quite ahead of its time. We saw a report on kids’ TV on a Saturday morning about a new craze breaking in California. Skateboarding. We thought that looked pretty good.
So a friend and I actually built two skateboards. Out of planks of wood and a pair of my sister’s roller skates. The type with four wheels on each foot, remember those? Not rollerblades. Those were a long way down the road yet.
It was pretty good, and we were completely oblivious to the dangers. No protection. Plenty of skinned knees, elbows, hands, and the odd bashed head. It was those little wheels, especially. The smallest pebble would stop them dead in their tracks. And of course, when you’re on a skateboard and it stops, you don’t. Interesting times.
Write What You Know
I suppose everyone’s life has these little stories: the occasions, the incidents, the traumatic or the fun or just the fond memories. Everyone is different.
And everyone brings parts of their life to the page, especially creatives. The parts no one else has experienced. It’s really just life experience, and I suppose that’s what’s meant by the old adage, write what you know.
It’s not that you have to be a serial killer to write about serial killers, or a space hero to write science fiction. It comes down to how you think, how you work, how you operate, and especially how you think back to all of that.
The Book in My Head
I’m getting quite excited about the way the book is panning out. Totally in my head, mind. No notes. Not even voice memos. Just thinking about the various areas that need improving, or need rewriting completely.
But, and this is a big but, it’s summer. And I’m thoroughly enjoying the weather. I think I mentioned last week, or the week before, that I’ve got the best tan I’ve had in many a year.
I prefer to be outside. Fresh air, walking the dogs, cycling, going to the sports club, working out. That, to me, is a fantastic way to spend summer. Not stuck in front of a computer writing, or even thinking about these stories.
So I can see where this is going. When the weather finally turns, and it’s looking a little cooler lately, I’ll be ready. Ready to continue. Ready to push on.
Waiting Until I’m Ready
A few weeks back I mentioned a technique from the writer Avery Maxwell. I haven’t actually done anything with it, but I’ve thought about it. And I think that really is how I work. I think about these things until I’m ready. If I’m not ready, I don’t even touch it.
I can see this being a problem if I want to release multiple series and multiple books in a reasonable time, given that I turn 66 next week. But I don’t think about that too much, to be honest. As I said last week, I write for the pleasure of it. And wrestling this story into something good, not necessarily great, but good, is the most important part of my writing career.
Yes, I’ll call it a writing career, and I don’t think that’s arrogant. I’ve been writing regularly since the beginning of 2023. I’ve not missed a week of this newsletter. Well over 100,000 words published already, spread over three years, on all sorts of subjects.
I started with things close to my heart at the time. If you look back at the early posts, most of them have nothing to do with creativity or creative writing at all. It was only later, towards the end of 2024, that I turned my attention to writing and discovered how much I love it.
So what’s holding me back now? Not much, really. Just wanting to be ready, and not feeling that I am yet. And if I’m not ready, why push it?
Think about it. If I sat down and forced myself through this book, making all the changes I’ve got in my head, yes, it would be done. Yes, the book would be better. The story would be better. But it still wouldn’t be right, and I’d know it wasn’t right. Would I ever be happy with it? Certainly not. It would just sit there like a thorn in my brain. I’d know it could have been better, but I rushed it. So that’s not what I’m going to do.
Some of you may remember I had an idea for another series, at least five books. It’s built on technology, and that technology is moving so fast that I haven’t really thought about it in months.
A Seasonal Writer
All of this gets me thinking. Am I a seasonal writer? A fall, winter, and spring writer who enjoys the summer outdoors? Because I do enjoy it. Let me check the temperature now. Only 12 degrees Celsius, around 54 Fahrenheit. Cool, as it has been lately. Life is good. Above average, even.
I’m also still smoking, which is ridiculous. With all the activity and the fitness, you’d think it would be the last thing I’d want to do. But I enjoy it, unfortunately. It’s expensive, it’s smelly, and it’s extremely unhealthy. Hopefully I’m coming to the end of that era too.
Final Thoughts
Another rambling newsletter, and I’m not entirely sure what the theme is this week. Don’t hurry. Don’t worry. There’s no point.
Enjoy yourself. Enjoy your creativity, whether it’s writing, poetry, or painting. Do it for the joy.
That’s it, really. Do it for the joy.
Take care of yourselves, and we’ll talk again next week. Mike.