I’ve read plenty of books on writing. Even one called “On Writing.” A few are helpful but I found most could be condensed to a pamphlet but I doubt people would shell out $19.99 for a single page tri-fold. There’s definitely a “those who can do, those who can’t, teach/tell you how to do” feeling to all how-to books but it’s to the tenth power with books on writing or any creative arts for that matter. You can teach someone how to use a hammer in a minute. You could teach someone the basic structure of a sentence in the same time but teaching someone to write a good sentence? Tough if they don’t have some innate writing ability. There’s one way to use a hammer. There’s a million ways to write a sentence. A paragraph? Even tougher task. A novel? Impossible. Yet the shelves of you local Barnes and Noble are filled with such $19.99 tri-folds.

The basics of most writing books (if you want the basic basics of writing books it’s this- read a lot and write a lot. There, 90% of most writing books explained in seven words, save your money for the real important tool of writing; you know, coffee) break it down to a few important measures to take when undertaking the task of writing. You know them if you’ve ever read a book about writing (a weird endeavor unto itself) so I’m focusing on one of the measures today- finding a writing space.

The writing space idea is a bit of a farce. Sure, you need an area where you can collect and put down your thoughts but the grand desk with the view of nature doesn’t get it done. Distractions aren’t my biggest distraction. I am my biggest distraction. When the writing is good a freight train barreling down on the tracks I’m sitting on while typing couldn’t faze me.

When it’s bad? I check my email constantly. I need music, then I don’t need music. Facebook. Espn. Pitchfork. Lather, Rinse, Repeat in the span of twenty seconds. Did somebody text me? No. Did somebody text me five seconds later? No. Put me in a remote cabin without my phone friend? I need to collect more wood. The sun needs me. Was that a bear? Why am I writing when there’s nature all around? Explore! Woo-hooooo nature! (Pen and paper hit the cabin floor)

It’s that bad. And truth be told, it’s more bad than good. I just watched Castle clips on Youtube between the last two paragraphs. I get distracted while writing about distractions. Will it ever get better? I don’t know. According to the writing books (they rarely mention the bad) peace, quiet, and a love of writing will get you through anything. I disagree. Getting through gets you through. Struggling word after word when it’s not good gets you through.

So out the window I stare. The snow trickles from the sky and while my soul is at peace my writing soul fights to slay the distraction dragon. It’s a never-ending battle. Frustrated I pull the tri-fold from my pocket. I tear off the important part, the pamphlet is now less than the size of a small post-it.

“Write a lot.”

I saved you $19.99

(Is that a bear?)