It gets lonely, sometimes, when you are writing. It’s not so bad, the loneliness, when you are writing fiction, the characters keep you company but when you are a non-fiction writer it is hard to have conversations with people when your mind is on the accuracy of what you are writing or about to write. As a non-fiction Christian writer interacting with people can be even more difficult because people interpret the Bible differently.

I am alone quite a bit, rarely do I seek the company of other people; other than my beloved. Perhaps it is a personality thing; I keep myself busy with other projects; sewing knitting, crocheting and even gardening are not activities you do with other people. But, I know other writers who socialize but are not very social.

It’s when you finish a manuscript, an article or an outline but before you actually begin writing, that you realize you are alone. Who do you talk to? When I attended write-ins during National Novel Writing Month I could talk to other writers about my characters. It is amazing how many writers will tell you that a character will do the opposite of what you want him or her to do: “I planned for John to go up the steps and…but instead he went fishing!” We would laugh because as the plot developed it made more sense for John to go fishing instead of going up the steps to do whatever the author thought he was going to do. Other writers understand that the change changes the rest of the story, a non-writer does not understand how the figment of a writers imagination, the character, can change a story line. Other writers understand how life is happening in our minds and we are just reporting it. Perhaps this is why I participate in NaNoWriMo, even if I do not attend write-ins.
I have tried to have conversations with people of faith about an idea that I am writing about. Because I write about a Christian woman’s role, I have tried to have conversations about it, unfortunately many Believers do not agree with me. Though I once believed the same as these individuals they refuse to even discuss why my opinion changed. Other Christians just don’t want to talk about it.
Of course, when a writer is in the midst of writing company is not appreciated. People become a distraction. I had company most of last week thus I am 13 thousand words short of my goal for today. In order for me to achieve 50 thousand words by the end of the month I had planned on writing two thousand words a day. Making the decision not to write on Sunday would not have stopped my accomplishing the goal of 50 thousand words by the end of the month but it would have meant I would not be writing every day. People interfere with my writing goals.
Getting lonely and being lonely are not the same thing. I do get lonely sometimes when I can I just go out among people, to the store or visit an elder, and then I get over it. To be a writer it is important that you like yourself because you will be your best company.

I am an active participant of National Novel Writing Month- these entries are unedited on purpose- Marsha L Floyd
*Scripture quoted is from the King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise stated
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