Girl Child likes to fish, and this is a good time of the year for it, so I have been driving her to her various fishing spots all over town in the last few weeks. I usually sit in the car or my folding camping chair while she is fishing, and I’ve come to appreciate the alibi to do some writing out of the house and away from most connectivity. We go out for a few hours, and I usually come back with a bunch of words that were written without the buzz and ding of notifications or the distraction from the dogs alerting me to the FedEx guy coming up our driveway with CLEAR INTENT TO MURDER US ALL.
The kids are still in Summer Vacation Loafing Mode, and we’ve been out with them to do stuff and enjoy their company. Switching up my writing schedule and adapting it to our other activities is kind of a nice change. It reminds me of the time when they were little and I had to get my writing done while they were napping or playing on the swing set. It’s a good reminder that art supports life, not the other way around, as Stephen King says in “On Writing”. (That’s one of my favorite books about the philosophy of the craft, along with Philip Pullman’s “Daemon Voices” and Lawrence Block’s “Spider, Spin Me A Web”.) The kids will be adults and out of the house soon enough, and then I’ll have all the quiet office time I can stand. In the meantime, I’ll enjoy squeezing in a few hundred words here and there between hitting the good fishing spots, the burger place, and the rock shop where Girl Child likes to spend all her cash.
“the rock shop where Girl Child likes to spend all her cash.”
Yep, this is sooooo familiar.
But mine D. usually leaves my money there, too. 😀
what can be better for the soul than being on or near the water and enjoying the great outdoors. Not to forget the added bonus of fresh fried fish for dinner! Good for you and your girl child.
You’re a good father, sir.