People often ask me to describe my writing process. But no one has ever asked me about sustenance. Yes, sustenance—the stuff that nourishes the body. When the writing obsession consumes me, and I become so engrossed in the story that I don’t want to take a break, Hostess Ding Dongs to the rescue! I keep a stack of Ding Dogs in my library next to my desk.
My daughter happened upon my stack of Ding Dongs and took a picture. She started laughing because, growing up, she always heard me stress good nutrition. “So, apparently, Ding Dongs are integral to your writing process?” she asked.
“No, of course not,” I replied. Then she gave ME the mother look, you know, the eyebrows raised in a way that mysteriously pulls the truth from you? “Well,” I confessed, “I occasionally eat one to celebrate the conclusion of a chapter . . . or maybe the beginning of a new chapter, and sometimes when contemplating what will happen next in the storyline, or after deciding what will happen next in the storyline, finishing the first draft, starting the second draft.”
She rolled her eyes. “No one would believe that about you, Dr. Blasdell. You should put it in a blog.”
All righty. Okey-dokey. Done.
