In the two days prior September 14,when I first put this to paper before getting busy with self-loathing and other forms of procrastination,I saw copious amounts of footage showing New Orleans under water,and eaten at least six meals. I had put in about three hours commuting,17 hours at the office,and16 hours in the land of nod. I’ve investigated the efficient frontier and portfolio management,read of Augie March’s adventures,and seen Kurt Angle put a serious pain on Jon Cena. Two hours of “Law &Order,”two hours grooming,and 90 minutes in the gym.
Nothing,not a second,writing fiction.
Welcome to my world.
As I continued to rage about what happened to the Big Easy,I seem to have reached a creative dead end,in writing fiction,blogging,letter-writing,and other forms of correspondence through which I make my living and spend my idle hours (or used to spend them). I’ve got three short stories that are in reasonably good shape for submission to lit mags,but I haven’t lifted a finger. My novel isn’t selling,yet I resist the obvious —the damn thing needs another revision. I fuck around with a blog entry,delete it,and then lurk on other blogs without commenting because I feel like I don’t have anything worthwhile to say.
Henry slept,and slept,and slept
All writers go through funks like this. In my case,it lasts a few weeks;others,it can last decades (Henry Roth,for instance). There are some of us who can write through thick,thin,and otherwise,but those modern graphomaniacs like Joyce Carol Oates or Christopher Hitchens are the exception.
There are several convient excuses:work is difficult,and my herniated disc is acting up,and Wife is busting my chops. (One out of those three is false). Mine is that I’m just frickin’tired. I just want to watch television or read a magazine or eat a ham sandwich.
Just the blahs or depression or lack of interest in anything but SEX SEX SEX,I don’t know. I’m starting to question my priorities,with this writing thing. Maybe I’m meant to be a couch potato,my religion the NFL and The Sopranos. Maybe I should just resign myself that I’m an overglorified typist. Maybe,as I peruse the pages of Mr. Bellow’s novel,I should resign myself that I’m never going to write an opening sentence as perfect as “I am an American,Chicago born”and give up.
Or maybe I just need to shut the fuck up,and start snapping sentences on the computer. I’m going to submit this now,without proofreading or editing of any sort. I will wake up tomorrow,re-read it,and think about what I shall do with the rest of my numbered days. Not that I’m a drama queen or anything like that.
I spent the entire weekend camped out on the couch watching the first season of “Lost”on DVD. No writing,no editing,no nothing. Damn it was good. Yesterday,I put the manuscript in the mail to the press which is publishing my chapbook next year. Sometimes you just need to slack off for a bit to re-energize. I do it all the time.
I totally understand the lurking on blogs and not commenting b/c of not feeling I had anything worthwhile to say.
Like the phoenix rising from the ashes you will emerge from your funk gloriously and knock your and Wife’s socks off with the superbness of your words. I have faith in ya!
I spent the entire weekend camped out on the couch watching the first season of “Lost”on DVD. No writing,no editing,no nothing. Damn it was good. Yesterday,I put the manuscript in the mail to the press which is publishing my chapbook next year. Sometimes you just need to slack off for a bit to re-energize. I do it all the time.
I spent the entire weekend camped out on the couch watching the first season of “Lost”on DVD. No writing,no editing,no nothing. Damn it was good. Yesterday,I put the manuscript in the mail to the press which is publishing my chapbook next year. Sometimes you just need to slack off for a bit to re-energize. I do it all the time.
I totally understand the lurking on blogs and not commenting b/c of not feeling I had anything worthwhile to say.
Like the phoenix rising from the ashes you will emerge from your funk gloriously and knock your and Wife’s socks off with the superbness of your words. I have faith in ya!
I totally understand the lurking on blogs and not commenting b/c of not feeling I had anything worthwhile to say.
Like the phoenix rising from the ashes you will emerge from your funk gloriously and knock your and Wife’s socks off with the superbness of your words. I have faith in ya!
Well,I think my empathetic comment was eaten as an appetizer by the cyber monsters. It was long,so in case it’s posted afterall:glad you’re writing here. BTDT for writing and lurking. (Much of my work @ my desk means no hands free to comment anyway.) Inspiration WILL come. It’s in you.
Well,I think my empathetic comment was eaten as an appetizer by the cyber monsters. It was long,so in case it’s posted afterall:glad you’re writing here. BTDT for writing and lurking. (Much of my work @ my desk means no hands free to comment anyway.) Inspiration WILL come. It’s in you.
Well,I think my empathetic comment was eaten as an appetizer by the cyber monsters. It was long,so in case it’s posted afterall:glad you’re writing here. BTDT for writing and lurking. (Much of my work @ my desk means no hands free to comment anyway.) Inspiration WILL come. It’s in you.
word. let yourself go. write when you very well damn please…when i get in a slump i write crap under a different name,you know bad erotica,bad poetry,bad romance stories…it just gets all of that out of my system but still keeps me writing. dunno babe,just do what feels good.
word. let yourself go. write when you very well damn please…when i get in a slump i write crap under a different name,you know bad erotica,bad poetry,bad romance stories…it just gets all of that out of my system but still keeps me writing. dunno babe,just do what feels good.
word. let yourself go. write when you very well damn please…when i get in a slump i write crap under a different name,you know bad erotica,bad poetry,bad romance stories…it just gets all of that out of my system but still keeps me writing. dunno babe,just do what feels good.
Chicagoans NEVER give up! EVER! And no,you aren’t a drama queen at all. Funks are part of this stoooopid writing thing. Write somethings that are rediculous like if the NFL were played by metro sexuals. That oughta get your wheels cranking. Plus it may help get all that SEX off of your brain for a tiny bit.
Lois Lane
Chicagoans NEVER give up! EVER! And no,you aren’t a drama queen at all. Funks are part of this stoooopid writing thing. Write somethings that are rediculous like if the NFL were played by metro sexuals. That oughta get your wheels cranking. Plus it may help get all that SEX off of your brain for a tiny bit.
Lois Lane
Chicagoans NEVER give up! EVER! And no,you aren’t a drama queen at all. Funks are part of this stoooopid writing thing. Write somethings that are rediculous like if the NFL were played by metro sexuals. That oughta get your wheels cranking. Plus it may help get all that SEX off of your brain for a tiny bit.
Lois Lane
collin:good advice. i’ve been taking it for some time. nohting like couch potatoing it for a few days…
glitzy:whatta nice thing to say. you rock my world.
green-eyed:inspiration will come,you’re right. hoping the body will follow.
bees:excellent advice. per usual. need to get the crap outta the system.
lois:if i wrote about nfl players who are metrosexuals,it would make me think about SEX all the time.
you mean they’re not already metrosexuals?
collin:good advice. i’ve been taking it for some time. nohting like couch potatoing it for a few days…
glitzy:whatta nice thing to say. you rock my world.
collin:good advice. i’ve been taking it for some time. nohting like couch potatoing it for a few days…
glitzy:whatta nice thing to say. you rock my world.
green-eyed:inspiration will come,you’re right. hoping the body will follow.
bees:excellent advice. per usual. need to get the crap outta the system.
green-eyed:inspiration will come,you’re right. hoping the body will follow.
bees:excellent advice. per usual. need to get the crap outta the system.
lois:if i wrote about nfl players who are metrosexuals,it would make me think about SEX all the time.
you mean they’re not already metrosexuals?
lois:if i wrote about nfl players who are metrosexuals,it would make me think about SEX all the time.
you mean they’re not already metrosexuals?
Lurking is fine,but you know you can just say “hey”without saying anything else…least we know your alive an kicking!
Ah yes,the joys of writing and or not writing. I hate those periods when my writing mind shuts down. What the Hell is up with that?
Lurking is fine,but you know you can just say “hey”without saying anything else…least we know your alive an kicking!
Lurking is fine,but you know you can just say “hey”without saying anything else…least we know your alive an kicking!
Ah yes,the joys of writing and or not writing. I hate those periods when my writing mind shuts down. What the Hell is up with that?
Ah yes,the joys of writing and or not writing. I hate those periods when my writing mind shuts down. What the Hell is up with that?
Well,I fixed that blog all b/c you asked a couple of months ago and even mention SEX on the other blog,well not explicity…(See the “Yawn before Dawn”post,but I didn’t even notice lurking. I must be going blind from not enough “writing.”
SilverMoon aka Green-Eyed Lady (GEL)
Well,I fixed that blog all b/c you asked a couple of months ago and even mention SEX on the other blog,well not explicity…(See the “Yawn before Dawn”post,but I didn’t even notice lurking. I must be going blind from not enough “writing.”
SilverMoon aka Green-Eyed Lady (GEL)
Well,I fixed that blog all b/c you asked a couple of months ago and even mention SEX on the other blog,well not explicity…(See the “Yawn before Dawn”post,but I didn’t even notice lurking. I must be going blind from not enough “writing.”
SilverMoon aka Green-Eyed Lady (GEL)