> On 19 Aug 2014, at 14:36, Jeffrey Schwartz <schwartz.jeffrey@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I would really, really be sad if you were to give up writing.

No, I'm not giving up just yet. :-).   Just tired to be honest.  CFS playing up.

> Especially because of me.
>

Well, you and China Miéville.  I've just read his Embassytown and realised that the little I've written previously is just utterly inadequate!  While the writing was a little darker than I might have liked, it really felt like 'grown up' fiction.  The kind of thing I might read in our library book group rather than 'telling not showing' fiction I've read under the Traveller label (but also Star Wars / Star Trek novels and so on). (It's possible the latter have moved on a bit - I've not read any in ages).

> I kinda cheat: under certain stimulus, the entire "scene" appears in
> my mind, and I just write.
> It's not something I can turn on and off, and it's not something that
> I work at...

Well, I am jealous... I have to work at establishing those kind of images...

> .. so people who actually *work* at writing are more special, from my
> point of view.

...so don't think this... Enjoy the gift.

Of course, I do have friends who read stuff I do and wonder where on earth I get my ideas from and how I can write what I do, so maybe it's matters of degree or practice.

>
> What I do is no better than some one writing about what they saw on TV
> a little bit ago... it's just that the TV is inside my head.

Hmmm, I might take issue with the 'no better than'.

But thank you for the encouragement.

tc