E C Hamilton

My Ticket A lost man with an old ticket stub tries to find his way home. “Excuse me,” he said, ancient face sad and lost. “I have my ticket.” He held out a piece of worn, yellow cardboard, cut inward in curves at the corners. For the sake of pleasantries, I took the ticket and examined it. Barely glancing at the text printed in faded red, I said, “Sir, this ticket is invalid.  Modern  day tickets are stored on a refillable card.” I handed the stub back to him, which had to be a few decades old, at least. I didn’t know what he was doing with a ticket as old as that, and what he thought he could do with it. “Oh,” said the man. He lowered the ticket but didn’t leave. I picked up the guide book I’d been reading but studied it more intently to make it look as if it were part of my work. “But it  is  valid…” “Sir, all our current tickets are digital. I’m sorry.” I blocked him out with my book once again, a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach...

“Just write every day of your life. Read intensely. Then see what happens.” Ray Bradbury             Like anything, we get better by doing. Writing everyday helps build good writing habits that help us reach our goals, and nourishes our craft. Journaling is a great way to write every day, even if it’s just a sentence or two. If we force ourselves to do little bits, then tackling the big bits doesn’t seem as daunting. You can write something down first thing in the morning or before you go to bed or just keep a notebook handy for when inspiration strikes. It doesn’t matter, but even a single sentence may one day become the seed of inspiration that turns into your greatest work of art. But I sit down of a night-time with a pen and a notebook and think what on earth do I have to say? Today wasn’t especially great or interesting, and I didn’t have any light bulb idea moments so what am I going to write about? ...