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It's hard.
It's not just the time you put aside. It's the way it hijacks your brain. Writing is like fire. The compulsion is all-consuming and potentially dangerous. It eats your air. It strips away your flesh and then expects you to carry on as though nothing happened. It doesn't always call you in the morning. Sometimes it doesn't call for weeks. Then, just when you've moved on it appears on your doorstep at three in the morning sans apologies and looking hot. There's no question that all is forgiven and it begins again.
I've been participating in some self-driven writing exercises that involve visiting some emotionally stirring places. Music helps with that. It can remind you how things used to feel when you were young and stupid and filled with passion. It can also stir up completely new emotions. Better ones. Scarier ones.
I had no idea this would happen.
Why didn't you warn me?
"Drinking is an emotional thing. It joggles you out of the standardism of everyday life, out of everything being the same. It yanks you out of your body and your mind and throws you against the wall. I have the feeling that drinking is a form of suicide where you're allowed to return to life and begin all over the next day. It's like killing yourself, and then you're reborn. I guess I've lived about ten or fifteen thousand lives now."
—Charles "The Buk" Bukowski, Interview, London Magazine, December 1974-January 1975
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you better keep that keyboard out and tapping away. You are a writer. And you're writing about all the right, hard things. I love your blog. Have you read "Outliers"? It's kind of a business book, but is fascinating and relates in so many ways, I don't know where to start. One thing that sticks with me is the 10,000 hour rule. To master anything, even if you're the most talented person in the world, takes that many hours. 8-)
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Margo, THANK YOU. You are very kind.
ReplyDeleteNo, I have not read "Outliers". I haven't read any writing books. I'm afraid that reading them will discourage me. Perhaps I should give myself more credit. Or demand more from myself. 10,000 hours? Yowza! I am going to check it out. Soaking up all your tips like a sponge.
Also, wondering what the heck "Echo" is in my commenting system and why CommentLuv doesn't seem to be working right. Hmm...
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From the moment I started reading you, I knew you were like this. I can tell you're passionate and totally invested. It's one of the reasons I continue to read you. I love the way you mix thoughts and prose.
ReplyDeleteRecent blog:=- What do you get when you cross a princess with a junkie? Why, a *GIVEAWAY* of course!
Andy— coming from you, one of the most talented and irreverent writers I've ever encountered, that means a LOT. Thanks! You made my day!
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