I Was On My Way To The Store, But Ended Up At The Zoo

I Was On My Way To The Store, But Ended Up At The Zoo

Have you ever set out to go somewhere?  Or to do something, maybe even something very specific?  But regardless of your original intentions, you ended up somewhere else or perhaps not doing what you wanted to do at all.

I deal with that a lot.

“Write a book.” “Write a book.” “You really need to write a book.”  I get this encouragement often.  I’ve been told by a few people that I am a good story teller.  Recently, on a flight from Atlanta, Georgia to Norfolk, Virginia, I was talking to the fellow setting next to me.  As is often the case, I ended up talking about my childhood, growing up in the south, and one of my heroes, Lewis Grizzard.  I tell some of Lewis’ stories from time to time, always by the way making sure that the person to whom I am telling the story knows that I am repeating something that I either read from one of the many Lewis Grizzard books that I own, or something that I heard Lewis himself say at one of the few times I was fortunate enough to hear him speak.  I never take credit for his stories, but I do love repeating them.  Anyway, as we began to off-load from the plane once were arrived in Norfolk, the ladies setting behind us told me that they had never enjoyed a flight as much as they had that one because they found the stories I told from Mr. Grizzard so interesting plus my own stories from my childhood and my Navy days.  I was flattered, but a bit surprised that they had heard me. 

Just as I was about to step into the aisle, one of the ladies asked my name.  I told her Gary, and she said “Gary what?”  So I told her, “No, it’s Gary Fowler, not Gary what.”  She laughed and then said “well Mr. Fowler, I just wanted to know so that I know whose name to watch for as I am sure you are writing a book.  And if you’re not, well sir, you need to.”

I’ve told a few of you that I am trying to write a book.  And it was not a lie.  I have tried.  I’ll tell you, writing a book is one of the hardest things I’ve ever attempted to do.  I have an idea in my mind of what I want the book to be, but every time that I set down and try even to write a simple outline, I fail.  I just can’t seem to get it together.

I have done interviews.  I have put the time in, but when it’s time to write, I just sit here and stare at a blank computer screen and each and every time I come up with the exact same thing.

Nothing.

But what I have discovered is that if I just sit down and start writing.  The words just come.  Sometimes they flow, and sometimes they run over each other.  But if I just start writing the words just come.

So I’ve written several things now.  I go back and I read them, then I re-read them.  Sometimes I edit them slightly, but not much, and most of the time, not at all.  I will now and then see a better way of expressing a singular thought, but the point of the thought remains the same.  I simply change the sentence structure so that I hope the end result is better.

But basically, I just write.  I write about whatever it is that is on my mind.  And I’ve decided that this is exactly what I need to do………… just write.

A couple of the books that Lewis published were simple re-releases of some of his articles.  Some of his books are just random chapters of random things.  And they are always entertaining.

No, I’m not trying to be Lewis Grizzard, I could never do that.  But what I am going to continue to do is just to write.  And at some point in the future, maybe in another year, I’m gonna put several of these writing sessions together into chapters and I’m going to send it to a few publishers.  I expect zero results from this, but I’ll do it anyway.  And if it fails as I expect it to, I may consider self publishing online.  Who knows, I just might sell one or two. 

So that’s the explanation of the title of this blog, which coincidentally will be the title of the book…….

“I Was On My Way To The Store, But Ended Up At The Zoo”

Happy writing.  Happy reading.