Wednesday, July 09, 2008

The trouble with writing ...

When I'm immersed in my fictional world it can sometimes be very difficult to engage with the real world.

Today I was crossing London to see my dad.
Finding a corner seat on the tube, I grabbed my WIP and pen and found the words flowing faster than I could get them down.

Great, you might say.
And it was - except for one problem.

In spite of the signs on the platform ...
... and on the front of the train ...
... and inside the carriage ...
... and the electronic voice announcements re the next station and where the train would terminate ...
I not only got on the wrong branch of the Northern Line, but had also gone halfway to High Barnet before I realised.
Doh!

It doesn't end there, I'm afraid.
As soon as the tube came out of the tunnel, I phoned dad and told him I was on my way and not to eat lunch without me.
Aware I was running over half an hour late, I dashed out of the station, grabbed a copy of the Metro for dad and raced to his flat.

He wasn't there.
Double doh!

It's happened before and I prepared to scour the streets looking for him.
And where did I eventually find him?
At the station, that's where.
As soon as I'd called he walked to meet me.
I must have rushed straight past him.

In my defense, he must have missed me too.
His excuse is that he's 93.
Mine? I'm a writer, innit?

3 comments:

Sharon J said...

LOL. Reminds me of a similar incident that happened to me a good few years ago. Dashed into the station, jumped on the train... going to wrong place. Got off at next station. Trudged up a very long hill on a very hot day, caught the bus back... saw train standing in station, ran, jumped on... going to wrong place again. I got home very late that night.

Debi said...

Arghhh! And your excuse was ...?

Sharon J said...

The one I used was 'tired after a long day at work'. The truth was 'stupidity'. I mean, you've gotta be pretty damned stupid to do it twice!