One of the biggest barriers to me writing these days is that I have to sit down at a laptop, open it up, type in my password, pull up my writing applications, and just start typing away from a stationary location. In order to do this, I also need to make sure there are no fires to put out, no chores or errands to run, no people to respond to, no pernicious cats to bestow my attention upon, and check my calendar for any pre-scheduled date nights with my wife. 

I assume it was as exhausting to read all of that word-vomit as it was to write it out. 

Because it’s such a chore to check off everything listed out above (and make a piping hot cup of tea, which I simply must have when writing), I’ve been avoiding writing more than I’d like lately. Sure, I knock out all of my comic book reviews over at TheBatmanUniverse.net. I also am pretty active with the TBU podcast, and I’ve gotten into a good groove with Because We Can. But my own personal writing on short stories and the novel? Nah, man. I’ve been slacking. 

To help chew through the barriers and force myself to get a few words in whenever I get a minute, I’ve been training my brain to use my phone. For many of you, this is probably a no-brainer and a slam dunk. I know for writers who are also parents, finding time and space to write is a godsend, and they take it where they can get it. 

But I’ve always hated the idea of mashing my stupid, fat fingers on my phone. The screen’s too small, and my fingers are like giant worms lazily brushing up against the keypad, hitting two or three letters with each tap. Garbage spews out, and I have to tap that backspace repeatedly.

 Though I feel it’s harder to type on my phone, in a world where I might be able to eek out five minutes here, 10 minutes there, or maybe 15 minutes waiting for my food to finish cooking — it just makes sense. 

So I’ve been training. I’ve smiled through the pain. I’ve slowed down my mashing and worked on my aim. The taps come more slowly, but my accuracy is improving. Typing on my phone also means I hyperventilate over a word choice and edit less, as it’s way harder to edit on mobile than it is on a real computer. 

It’s working… so far. But I do miss the clickety-clack of the laptop though. The phone just doesn’t sound the same. 

It’s been a weird month. I just opened up my writing log for only the second time this month. Today, it is May 31, 2023. The last time I entered anything into my log, it was May 1st. In between my last writing session and now, my wife and I suffered a loss in the family. We also hopped on an international flight and took a two-week trip throughout Germany and into Poland. It’s been a few days since our return, and we’re just not finally settling into old grooves. 

I despise long gaps between writing sessions. Even if I only chip away with a few hundred words here or there, the consistency makes me feel accomplished. It reinvigorates my spirit and feels as if life flows through my veins, fingertips, and breath. This has been the longest gap in quite a while, but it’s been a gap overwhelmed with emotion — stress, pain, anguish, love, connection, and self-reflection. 

My wife and I have experienced utter exhaustion and grief, as well as jollity and that epiphanic sensation that comes with discovering something new about yourself. The gap brought us closer together — to each other, as well as with our family.