wordsmith

I like the term 'wordsmith' to describe what I do. Storyteller and wordsmith.
I've been pondering the difference between those descriptions and loftier ones such as 'writer,' author,' and--most lofty of them all--'artist.

Right now, I am deep in the deepest part of a story...a few scenes beyond the halfway point. This is when it's the toughest. One cannot be objective at all about one's writing now. The trick is to keep writing, no matter what. Meditate on the storyline in the off hours, like during walks, so that there is some grain of an idea when one comes back to the keyboard, but come back to it.

This is where instinct takes over and one hopes it will not lead one astray by the time one emerges at the other end. I liken this process to diving into an Olympic size swimming pool and trying to make it across. I'm not a good swimmer and don't really like it, so this is a very daunting prospect for me. Right now, I'm smack-dab in the middle, too late to turn back, still a long way to the finish line.