I've been all over the place reading, reading, reading, and am amazed and thrilled and inspired! by the terrific stories I've come across. These are worth your time:
From the Autumn 2009 issue of The Southern Review: "Ecumenical Bedding" by Gilbert Allen. This is wildly creative and funny in a wry sort of way.
From the Fall 2009 issue of The Pinch: "Walk Through Walls" by Steven Wingate. This is also wildly creative, with a far-out edge that I find so appealing. The subject matter is as the title suggests: walking through walls. Really. And it's done so matter-of-factly, so this-sort-of-thing-happens-all-the-time that it's believable.
From Issue 26 of Smokelong Quarterly: Pregnant With Peanut Butter by Michael Czyzniejewski. Direct and amazing. You fall right into the story without realizing it's happening.
From the Spring 2010 issue of JMWW: Prescott, Presley, Preston by Matt Bell. This is another one of those far-out kind of subjects that I so love and, man, it's a killer.
Showing posts with label JMWW. Show all posts
Showing posts with label JMWW. Show all posts
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Distractions
I haven't written anything - new or otherwise - for the past several weeks (grocery lists don't count). I'm trying to not to worry, trying to just go with it, hoping the break will be a good thing. In thinking about it, I've determined there are a number of things distracting me (of course it might be that I'm easily distracted):
* New kittens: yes, they are adorable. But! Daisy is a female and this is important for two reasons: 1) I've never before had a female pet (well, except for a cat named Nancy - after Nancy Drew, of course - but I was only 8 so that doesn't count) and 2) females go into heat. Without warning. Geez, what a baptism. And talk about timing: Diesel was neutered just TWO days before Daisy went into heat.
* Rejections: they're rolling in right and left and while, theoretically, this should inspire me to get back to it, it's somehow not. At nearly 7500 words, my story is *very* long, but I was sure, optimistic, hopeful that the good feeling I had about one journal in particular would pan out. Not so.
* Garden: I've been thinking about planting a garden for a couple of years, about really committing to growing some vegetables, to giving my tomato plants a respectable place to thrive (instead of having to share space with the flowers), and I think this is the year. But it takes lots of work. And planning.
* Composting: also been thinking about composting, about creating my own "black gold." But where to put it?
* Ireland: my husband and I, along with his family, are going to Ireland in July. Lots to talk about, to plan. One of my assigned jobs: book the flights.
* Photography: we bought a really cool digital camera, a Nikon D80, 18 months ago. The problem is that I don't know how to use all the fancy buttons/features. The manual, you ask? Have you ever read one? So I took a class 3 weeks ago and it was the best $90 I spent. So now when it snows, or when the sun shines/sets, when the light falls just so, I'm outside experimenting with depth of field, bracketing, playing with the aperture and shutter settings.
I could go on, but you get the idea. These are all valid distractions, right? Examples of life getting in the way? Last month, over at JMWW, Dave Erlewine interviewed Michael Czyzniejewski and one topic discussed was writer's block. Michael's take on it was that writer's block doesn't exist, that it's just another name for being lazy or not caring or being frustrated. So maybe I need to take a forceful, disciplined approach: park my butt in a chair, pencil in hand, cup of tea at the ready, and... write.
* New kittens: yes, they are adorable. But! Daisy is a female and this is important for two reasons: 1) I've never before had a female pet (well, except for a cat named Nancy - after Nancy Drew, of course - but I was only 8 so that doesn't count) and 2) females go into heat. Without warning. Geez, what a baptism. And talk about timing: Diesel was neutered just TWO days before Daisy went into heat.
* Rejections: they're rolling in right and left and while, theoretically, this should inspire me to get back to it, it's somehow not. At nearly 7500 words, my story is *very* long, but I was sure, optimistic, hopeful that the good feeling I had about one journal in particular would pan out. Not so.
* Garden: I've been thinking about planting a garden for a couple of years, about really committing to growing some vegetables, to giving my tomato plants a respectable place to thrive (instead of having to share space with the flowers), and I think this is the year. But it takes lots of work. And planning.
* Composting: also been thinking about composting, about creating my own "black gold." But where to put it?
* Ireland: my husband and I, along with his family, are going to Ireland in July. Lots to talk about, to plan. One of my assigned jobs: book the flights.
* Photography: we bought a really cool digital camera, a Nikon D80, 18 months ago. The problem is that I don't know how to use all the fancy buttons/features. The manual, you ask? Have you ever read one? So I took a class 3 weeks ago and it was the best $90 I spent. So now when it snows, or when the sun shines/sets, when the light falls just so, I'm outside experimenting with depth of field, bracketing, playing with the aperture and shutter settings.
I could go on, but you get the idea. These are all valid distractions, right? Examples of life getting in the way? Last month, over at JMWW, Dave Erlewine interviewed Michael Czyzniejewski and one topic discussed was writer's block. Michael's take on it was that writer's block doesn't exist, that it's just another name for being lazy or not caring or being frustrated. So maybe I need to take a forceful, disciplined approach: park my butt in a chair, pencil in hand, cup of tea at the ready, and... write.
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