Welcome to J Gray Writes
Write every day, Stephen King says. And I do, if grocery lists, lesson plans and checks to my landlord count. Or the embarrassingly trite romances I write in my head as I run. (They will never, never, see the page. That is for me alone)
I'm a storyteller. It falls out of my mouth, unbidden, especially in the classroom—it's an acquired taste for my students, but they eventually embrace it. Better than doing "real work". When I actually get one of these tales on paper...oooh the satisfaction! I wiggle in my seat and say out loud, "Now, that's good." I envision Pulitzers, a Nobel, and an interview with Terry Gross. Then I read it in the cold, harsh light of the next day. And, well, let’s just say it usually needs work. So that's what I do. Roll up my sleeves (I live in the tropics, so they are metaphorical sleeves) and get busy. It's the best part, and I love every, okay most, minutes of it. I mean, writing is called CRAFT, not magic, after all.
It ain't easy to work full time and write. Even harder if you have children, so hats off to you lot. Many days, it feels a Heraklean task, or a wasted effort. But it can be done, as King assures us, if you keep at it. The ancient Greeks believed in something called Arête. A life code which posits that every day is a new chance to strive for excellence in whatever it is you do. Are you a brick layer, lawyer, politician, parent? Be the best version you can be. Yesterday, no matter how great you were, or how bad you blew it, is only a lesson to be applied to today. Achieving excellence is not the goal, pursuing it is. Each day a clean slate, a clean sheet of paper. I love that.
Side bar: The ancient Greeks invented philosophy, drama, satire, many branches of science, gads of math, art, architecture, the Olympics, democracy and pancakes. So, if they suggest a life code, I'm running with it. (They also invented the marathon)
Each day, I work at Arête and write the best I can, even if yesterday was drivel, or only a to-do list. I get out of bed, stretch and say "Yes! Today's the day for excellence!" Then I realize I forgot to set the coffee. Arête. I write the best I can, work the best I can and love the best I can. It won't be perfect, but that's where the fun is, and as Scarlett O'Hara declared: "After all, tomorrow is another day!" (Who knew she was into ancient Greek philosophy?)
The Greeks also believed in WINE. Just sayi