Entries from October 2008 ↓

I just popped over to Jerry’s blog to try to catch up on the last 2 years, and found a post about this year’s NaNoWriMo. In it, he offered three reasons that taking part in NaNoWriMo is a Good Thing for people:

1. They are being creative. Rather than switch their brains off when they get home from school or work, they are switching them on. This can be habit-forming.

2. They are committing to something outside their usual routine. Consistency is the key to success and it takes a special kind of commitment to do something outside your comfort zone. This can be habit-forming.

3. They are making something. It may suck, but the balance of human endeavor will be tipped just a little more towards “worthwhile”. They are producing rather than consuming. What have you added to humanity’s list of accomplishments lately?

While I read that, I felt a little better about this challenge I have set myself.

Now that I realise I am 62 minutes away from midnight, I am a little more hesitant to smile again. Lola is due to wake in an hour or so, and I am wondering if I should take that opportunity to begin….

Tomorrow is NaNoWriMo day 1. Currently, I am a little shitscared.

I have just finished listening to Stephen King’s “On Writing” as an audiobook, and I was struck by his closing stanza, which included the observation that ‘the most difficult part of writing is just before you begin’. 

How true that is. I am currently finding an alarming number of excuses to ignore NaNoWriMo this year:  I’m shit, I have no ideas, I don’t deserve to even attempt this, I’ll never find the time, I have higher priorities than this, and the list goes on.

But as David Allen and Merlin and Stephen King tell me - you’ve got to give yourself permission to do these things. You’ve got to let your mind create, otherwise it will stop trying. I haven’t tried to write a song for years, and the songs have dried up.

I’m not sure where this rant is going. I’m not expecting you all to slap me on the back and cheer me on. I’m not asking for your help and encouragement. I think I’m just publicly admitting that I’m scared, and then rambling a bit.

Maybe you could just wish me luck if you see me around. And wish Gonty luck too.

I am totally with Merlin on this one…

Whatever the hell this thing is, I wish I’d had access to it for the
first 35 years of my life.

(Via Photos from merlinmann.)

I’ve buckled under Gonty’s enormous and relentless pressure, and signed up for NaNoWriMo.

To test myself out, I sat down this morning and fired up Jer’s Novel Writer and dumped some thoughts - here’s what I wrote.

So, here I am in wordsville. Watching, waiting, wondering what the freak I have gotten myself into. Of course, I’m not ‘in’ anything. I signed up, that’s all. There’s no commitment, no outlay that holds me here. Barely even any community to push me. The only known community is my brother Gonty, and he’s probably got more excuses than I do.

I’ve got my own set of excuses: from the obvious “I have an 8 week old baby, a 2 year old boy, a full time job, and a house to maintain - I have no time to write”, through the uninspired “I have nothing to write about” (potentially a nihillistic solution presents itself there?), to the physiological “I can’t write or read on the train (my only quiet time in a day) as it makes me quite ill”.

So where do I expect to find the time to write 50,000 words in a month? A short novel? One thousand, six hundred and sixty seven words every day for 30 days straight!?

To be honest - I don’t. I’m here because I wish I could write. I have a secret desire to be a writer, even though I kinda suck at anything large-scale, and don’t read anywhere near enough to be a considered and well opinioned author. I’m here maybe to ‘give myself permission to have ideas’, maybe to try to start something. Maybe to force myself to try. Try to manufacture some momentum.

By the way - is there a NaNoEdiMo?

(Dang it, that’s only just over 250 words. I need to do that much writing 7 times a day….)

Wish me luck (and don’t be too hard on me if I don’t make it, or my novel sucks.

“They jump, M’Lord”

Dear Squozen,

You are so much sexier when you’re not being such an arse.

Remember that I still love you, and that subjectivity is King

gizo

Kymbo and I just had a major-ish clean out. We went through our clothes, and sent 5 garbage bags of stuff we don’t wear to the local community care people. I mostly discarded pants, and yet I still have plenty.

I’m a hoarder by nature so these events, while common for Kym, are a significant event for me, and tend to get my mind going.

What memories and feelings am I throwing out with my pants, and what do I want to keep? What is important to me at the End?

Today I experienced one of The Things I’d Like to Keep: I looked into Harvey’s room, and saw him sitting on his bed, splitting open a pea-shell from his Grandparent’s garden, picking out the sweet crisp peas, and eating them.

If I can carry that vision to the End, I will be a happier man - sometimes a little teary - but happier nonetheless.

Oh Lordy yes, this looks like some fun.

(via Coudal)

As you may expect, things have been fairly hectic here, which is one of my excuses for silence.

In lieu of real content, I’ve got a couple of random music notes for you.

First off, this great fun quote from our very own Mr Paul. If you need further explaining, check out this post.

Also, while I was driving home (a rarity) today, listening to some of the less listened to of my music collection, I pondered what the musical landscape would look like if Robert Pollard had ever really tried. I certainly don’t wish to accuse him of being lazy (the man has released about Seventy-Ker-Grillion or so albums), but I can’t help but think that if he’d really buckled down he could have had a resounding effect on modern music as we know it.

I’m sure I’ll go down in flames for saying that, but so be it. He’s a brilliant musician, a Genius of Melody - who I believe could have been a game changer - certainly as resounding as Coyne & Drozd, or that Cobain fellow.

End result - you must all go out and buy ‘Bee Thousand‘, for it is brilliance (and if you use that link, I will become rich beyond our wildest imaginings!).

Now I am off to pretend to record a covers album of Ween songs that were never as good as they should have been because Dean and Gene were always too far gone. I’m thinking tracks like Tender Situation, Loving You Through It All, Birthday Boy, Don’t Laugh, I Love You and Sarah.