Once in a while, I drift. It’s kind of like floating in the ocean, held up by the saltwater when there is no wind or riptide, just the gentle push and pull of waves cresting toward and receding from the shoreline. In those moments, or days, or weeks, I don’t feel like doing anything — housework, exercise, or writing.

One evening in July, while I was cushioned in this stale space of lethargy, I went back to a documentary I’d started on Netflix. Titled The Center Will Not Hold, it is a film directed by Griffin Dunne. His subject matter is his aunt, literary icon Joan Didion.

Somewhere between the black and white photos of Didion, her husband-writer John Gregory Dunne, and their adopted daughter, Quintana, I fell into Didion’s spell as she confessed to self-doubts and pleasures of a writing life. Was writing a relevant act? How does one come to terms with the disorder of life and create order in the form of an essay, novel or screenplay? To my knowledge, she did not rub her pen against the sandpaper of poetry.

What impressed me so very much was the transparency and brutal effects of age and loss on Didion. Her resilience, stamina and wisdom shine through each piece of the film, and I found myself roused by select Joan Didion mantras. I’ll paraphrase a few.

• Your story unfolds as you write it.
• Novels are about things you’re afraid you can’t deal with.
• Listen to the edge of what people say.
• Write to understand what you think and how you feel.
• Remember what it is to be you. That is always the point.

Didion is best known for her work in non-fiction, my genre of first choice. I will never be a Joan Didion. I started writing later in my life. I don’t share her writing style, but because I love it, I suspect her influence will peek between the periods and line breaks of my own developing voice. I admire her life lessons and her ability to process pain, wonder and confusion onto the page.

If you are looking for inspiration, if you are caught between the dog days of summer and the next act of autumn, if you are floating and wondering what or how to write the next single word or sentence, but can’t, or won’t, or are wondering how, maybe listening to another writer will help. It’s why we belong to and write with one another in South Carolina and beyond. We find value in sharing and learning. We discover impetus and new pathways with words.

I recommend taking time to watch The Center Will Not Hold when and if you are interested. Drifting isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes you bump into a buoy of inspiration along the way.

Congratulations to all. We’re delighted for you!

Porter is the author of two mystery books and Missing, a young adult novel about a 10-year-old Black boy obsessed with a missing girl.

“There’s a myth that Black boys don’t read, and as a result, there aren’t many Black boys featured as viewpoint characters,” Porter says. “While I didn’t write the novel for the sole purpose of dispelling this myth, I’m hoping that I contribute to its demise. Missing is a story that I believe will greatly resonate with today’s readers – youth and adults alike, regardless of race."

Porter’s talk is one of several upcoming SCWA discussions that will focus on diversity and storytelling.

Register for this FREE program at https://myscwa.org/virtual-events. Registrants will receive the Zoom link.

• Promote your book(s).
• Engage with other authors.
• Hear speakers on the topic of writing throughout the day, including sessions that are genre-specific.
• Peruse other authors’ books.