Monday Morning Musings

Posted on February 26, 2018 under Monday Morning Musings with 6 comments

The Art of Conversation

 

A conversation.

I have been writing for six years now… 856 stories and counting. What started out as a lark has turned into a passion. I love to write. I know that I will never win any literary awards. My writing is simple and I rarely use any big words. Hell, my English methods teacher in my Education year at St.F.X. more or less told me ( and most of my classmates ! ), that I was borderline illiterate as he tore my first several essays to shreds issuing  failing grades. I think he would be surprised and possibly horrified, to know that I am working on my fourth book.

So. Pray tell, dear readers, why do you continue to read my musings?

I have a theory. Here are a few statistics: 73% of you are 55 and older with nearly 50% of you over the age of 65. Most of us have a shared experience. Our roots are similar with some mixture of Scottish, Irish and French. Most of us are Baby Boomers and grew up in the 50’s and 60’s as kids watching Ed Sullivan and Bonanza.

Being from Antigonish, most of us were raised Catholic. I always get a big reaction whenever I post something about my Catholic upbringing.  I have often thought about writing a whole book about growing up Catholic. And then I quickly come to my senses and realize that this is a really bad idea!

Most of my stories are just about everyday things. The topics are endless (and occasionally mindless). But the stories form some kind of narrative and what it boils down to is that we are really just having a conversation through the use of technology. I feel very connected to all of you. When I’m writing, it’s as if you’re sitting across the table with your cup of tea and we’re just shooting the breeze. You mention something harmless and right away my wheels are spinning knowing that I have the kernel for a story.

Lest you think that I pore over every word that I write, you’re wrong. That should be obvious! I usually jot down a few key points in my trusty scribbler (I’m keeping Hilroy in business). The meat of the story, if there’s such a thing, is usually crafted in my head somewhere between Hawthorne Street and Liquor Lane on my morning walks. As many of you know, I often pull out a line from a tune from the past to set the tone of the story.

And then, I turn on the computer, open the Word program and start. It usually comes gushing out like a storm drain in a flood… or an open sewer. Pick your own analogy. I write the whole piece start to finish, in one go, pausing only to sip my coffee. Most of what I write is done in the early hours of the morning.

Why am I telling you all of this? I don’t have a clue! From time to time, I bump into one of you on the street and we have this kind of conversation.

And really, Week45, is just one, elongated conversation. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

One more thing. The most often asked question? What is Week45?

About 10 years ago, we took our first trip to Florida and shortly after that, we bought our first time share. For the uninitiated, time shares are typically bought by the week, based on a time share calendar. So, the first week of January becomes Week 1 and the last week of the year in December is Week 52. I know that you are all math whizzes and can quickly determine (roughly) what week of the year we bought our initial time share.

My writing “career” began in Florida and when it came time to “brand” my business, I thought Week45 was as good as any.

There. You know my most intimate secrets. And I know a lot of yours!

I’ll keep writing as long as you keep reading.

Have a great week.