You know, if it's one thing I have a problem with, it's holding things in. I bite my tongue. I don't speak up when I should. I do this in conversation and in the literary arena. I'll often nix a story idea when everyone else says it's Pulitzer-worthy, just because I don't think it would come out right.
It's a disease. Here I am, trying to make my way in a hostile world that does nothing but throw barriers in front of me, and what do I do? Throw barriers in front of myself, that's what.
I've got to quit it. So, in recognition of that fact, I am hereby going to blog about something that's been on my mind the past couple of days.
This blog stinks lately.
No, really. You know that miserable little piece I did about my Halloween-themed cocktail party? That was originally going to be an epic, long-winded, wittier-than-Oscar-Wilde essay on the joys of Halloween-themed cocktail parties.
And what did it turn out to be?
A blurb.
You know why?
I couldn't be bothered.
I went ahead and started writing it, stopped, loafed around the house for a couple of days eating leftover party snacks, and decided it wasn't worth my time. Eh, not much to say. People came. We drank. We sang. We made merry. We listened to some of my Bill Cosby stand-up albums. We broke up. Game, set, match. Nothing to report. Show's over, folks. I'd already written an epic, long-winded, wittier-than-a-hot-poke-in-the-eye essay on the joys of regular ol' run-of-the-mill cocktail parties anyway. Why get into a rut? So I typed up a brief and let it lie. Thankfully, some people were courteous enough to give me their feedback regardless.
Or what about that thing I scribbled about Sour Apple Pucker? Did that have a compelling premise? Was there a reason for its existence other than my need to crow about employing apple schnapps for the very first time ever? Was there anything enlightening or worthwhile for the readers in it anywhere? Heck no. It just exists, without even a pretty picture hung on it to obscure its infinitesimal worth.
Yeah, and those paragraphs that are currently in the works about me taking up flying again after 17 months on the ground? Rediscovering the thrill of flight and beginning to relearn the skills of a pilot in the clear skies and calm morning air over the Mojave Desert? Come on. That kind of stuff is puerile. Jejune, too. As if yards of similar drivel were never written by scores of moon-eyed, imbecilic, neophyte aviators before me! I'll finish it, though, much good may it do me.
Don't try to deny it, people. I'm not having self-esteem issues, here. I'm not being insecure or fishing for compliments. Whether you agree or disagree, my mind is made up. I've gotten into a rut. This thing has stagnated on me. I need to go rob a bank or something so I'll have something really interesting to write about. Perhaps I need to get into another street fight or save a damsel in distress. Anything. Anything just so long as I get something vivifying to write about again...and actually write about it.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
this blog stinks lately
You know, if it's one thing I have a problem with, it's holding things in. I bite my tongue. I don't speak up when I should. I do this in conversation and in the literary arena. I'll often nix a story idea when everyone else says it's Pulitzer-worthy, just because I don't think it would come out right.
It's a disease. Here I am, trying to make my way in a hostile world that does nothing but throw barriers in front of me, and what do I do? Throw barriers in front of myself, that's what.
I've got to quit it. So, in recognition of that fact, I am hereby going to blog about something that's been on my mind the past couple of days.
This blog stinks lately.
No, really. You know that miserable little piece I did about my Halloween-themed cocktail party? That was originally going to be an epic, long-winded, wittier-than-Oscar-Wilde essay on the joys of Halloween-themed cocktail parties.
And what did it turn out to be?
A blurb.
You know why?
I couldn't be bothered.
I went ahead and started writing it, stopped, loafed around the house for a couple of days eating leftover party snacks, and decided it wasn't worth my time. Eh, not much to say. People came. We drank. We sang. We made merry. We listened to some of my Bill Cosby stand-up albums. We broke up. Game, set, match. Nothing to report. Show's over, folks. I'd already written an epic, long-winded, wittier-than-a-hot-poke-in-the-eye essay on the joys of regular ol' run-of-the-mill cocktail parties anyway. Why get into a rut? So I typed up a brief and let it lie. Thankfully, some people were courteous enough to give me their feedback regardless.
Or what about that thing I scribbled about Sour Apple Pucker? Did that have a compelling premise? Was there a reason for its existence other than my need to crow about employing apple schnapps for the very first time ever? Was there anything enlightening or worthwhile for the readers in it anywhere? Heck no. It just exists, without even a pretty picture hung on it to obscure its infinitesimal worth.
Yeah, and those paragraphs that are currently in the works about me taking up flying again after 17 months on the ground? Rediscovering the thrill of flight and beginning to relearn the skills of a pilot in the clear skies and calm morning air over the Mojave Desert? Come on. That kind of stuff is puerile. Jejune, too. As if yards of similar drivel were never written by scores of moon-eyed, imbecilic, neophyte aviators before me! I'll finish it, though, much good may it do me.
Don't try to deny it, people. I'm not having self-esteem issues, here. I'm not being insecure or fishing for compliments. Whether you agree or disagree, my mind is made up. I've gotten into a rut. This thing has stagnated on me. I need to go rob a bank or something so I'll have something really interesting to write about. Perhaps I need to get into another street fight or save a damsel in distress. Anything. Anything just so long as I get something vivifying to write about again...and actually write about it.
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5 comments:
First, thanks for stopping by my blog. :)
Second, yours is lovely, no matter what you think.
And third, if this is lousy, I'm excited to see what you'd call a masterpiece. ;)
Have a great weekend...hopefully one filled with inspiration.
I love your blog - I think you know that. I know, I'm only one person, but I've looked at A LOT of blogs, and I'm pretty picky about the ones I follow. And when I do follow a blog, it's not always because it's "great writing," but in your case it definitely is.
Also, I'm not always inspired to leave comments on some of the blogs I follow; but I almost always am on yours because you inspire conversation. Your blog is fun to read and informative.
I don't think it's about having some big adventure to write about; it's about making the mundane interesting, highlighting the unnoticed detail of something everyone has seen, or bringing information about something most people don't know about in an engaging way. You do these things quite well.
Long-winded is not always better. If I may, my ONLY criticism of your blog is its occasional extra-long-windedness.
I read somewhere recently people read because they want more of the author, than they do for the subject matter. I've never pursued an interest in airplanes or cocktails, but you've MADE me more interested in them.
At first I avoided your cocktail blogs, but now I do enjoy them. In fact, I was going to comment on the Apple Pucker one, but it slipped under the radar. I often read a post, then go back to it later to comment, after I've digested it a bit, and I just forgot with that one. It's a good post.
There are a lot of blogs with recipe posts out there, and yours is an interesting twist on that.
In my humble opinion.
Carrie: you're welcome. It's a good 'un. Thanks for the kind words. I'll see if I get inspired to whip up a masterpiece here by Monday.
Pollinatrix: that's nice of you to say. I appreciate it. Yeah, and thanks for pointing that out. No, really. I need to be told when I'm getting long-winded, it's a special weakness of mine. Even my girlfriend had to tell me to shut up sometimes.
Well, I'll be! That was my intention, to get people interested in cocktails. I cared not one whit about them until I slowly, tentatively began mixing them myself. Now I'm hooked. Making them is almost more fun than drinking them, in my humble opinion. Sincere thanks for your highly useful feedback, as always. I appreciate you taking the time and effort to comment. I only hope I can reciprocate.
It occurred to me after I posted that comment that I'm really one to talk about being long-winded!
Ah, now there's a difference between you and I, certainly. I write a lot and don't say much (or else I say the same thing over and over again). You write a decent amount, and say a decent amount. What you just wrote about autumn's thin days is a classic example.
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