A. B. Schwartzkopf

Roost noun

: A place where birds regularly settle or congregate to rest at night, or where bats congregate to rest in the day (Oxford Languages)

Rest is important to basic function. It helps us restart with a clearer conscience, re energizes us for a new day, and helps us to look at things with new perspectives. Animals need it, technology occasionally does, and humans especially need to rest. Which means that we all need places for rest. 

How does this fit in the context of writing? When we write, it’s a good idea to let a written idea rest before we submit it to a publisher, agent, or professor. That way, when we come back to the written piece, we’re better able to find errors and solutions. It also helps us see whether or not the idea is providing the intended goal. Sometimes we write a piece that might be good or just alright, but it doesn’t exactly fit for the goal you were working towards. Other times, the piece was good for serving the goal’s purpose, but it didn’t go anywhere after that. 

Letting these pieces of writing rest is part of the journey of a writer. We have to be able to discern the quality of what we write and admit to when an idea needs more time to fester before working on it again. 

Personally, there are a world of ideas, short prose, poetry, and essays that fill my notebooks and crowd my computer documents. Most of these might never become something more than a margin note, but if I allow them to rest on the Roost, then maybe they’ll become something profound. Maybe they won’t. That’s all part of the journey! 

So I say to you, my friend: Welcome to the Writing Roost! A resting place for ideas in flight! 

Until next time!