Bloggers' Block!
I stared blogging in '04 to break my writer's block...
Since then, I've been building a bit of a reputation as a blogger, freelance journalist, citizen journalist, out-in-left-field media commentator, memoirist, and a few other things...
People have been asking me to write for them. Sometimes I get paid for this, sometimes it's just the links and prestige.
Yet all of a sudden, that font of words has started to dry up.
I've got Blogger's Block! (dammit!)
Since I've used blogging to break my writer's block, does this mean I'll have to use writing to break my bloggers' block?
Now, y'all must be thinking "but if she's writing here then where's this blogger's block?"
It's in my more serious blogging--in all that money-earning and jounalistic blogging. It's in the blogging that people will be looking at and going "hmm...this chick really *can* write about more than her personal life..."
Maybe it's the weather. It's gorgeous here today, warm and sunny and tonight will be another lovely balmy night, perfect for sleeping.
Maybe that's the problem. Maybe I'd rather be out taking a walk and enjoying the greenery...or making love and feeling the cool breeze over mine and my lover's naked bodies, while we share some strawberries and wine...
Maybe I just don't feel like thinking heavy and profound thoughts about the problems with the FCC's review of the policies governing cross-ownership...or further researching the DOPA legislation....or fretting about the nature of citizen journalism....
Maybe I just want to play right now, because, when it comes down to it, I don't really play all that much. I take breaks, where I work on something else. There's always A Project in the wings, few of which are paying anything, and more of which are giving me bang-my-head-against-the-wall completion kiniptions.
Yeah...maybe I just need to get laid for an entire day.
And then I'd only want to do it another day.
I think what it boils down to is that I don't have balance. It's all-or-nothing for everything in my life. It's a sense of obligation and "have to" all the time, with no summer break like at college.
That's what I think made the work I did at college more rewarding--I'd work my ass off for a couple of months, then take a couple of weeks or a month off. I got used to that rhythum, and haven't adjusted to the adult model of doing things, which requires huge amounts of work and small amounts of pleasure at odd intervals.
Who am I to want to have concentrated blocks of pleasure-time? Do I think I'm some kind of gifted wealthy person or something? I'm not that lucky so I have to keep my nose to the grindstone until it turns into a bloddy pulp.
Bloody hell!
Guess I'm just going to have to deal with all that serious content locked in my head until I figure out a way to create the kind of pleasure that will then, like a giant mental purgative, flush all that serious stuff from my brain to my keyboard and to my blog.
better happen fast, I'm beginning to feel a bit bloated...
Since then, I've been building a bit of a reputation as a blogger, freelance journalist, citizen journalist, out-in-left-field media commentator, memoirist, and a few other things...
People have been asking me to write for them. Sometimes I get paid for this, sometimes it's just the links and prestige.
Yet all of a sudden, that font of words has started to dry up.
I've got Blogger's Block! (dammit!)
Since I've used blogging to break my writer's block, does this mean I'll have to use writing to break my bloggers' block?
Now, y'all must be thinking "but if she's writing here then where's this blogger's block?"
It's in my more serious blogging--in all that money-earning and jounalistic blogging. It's in the blogging that people will be looking at and going "hmm...this chick really *can* write about more than her personal life..."
Maybe it's the weather. It's gorgeous here today, warm and sunny and tonight will be another lovely balmy night, perfect for sleeping. Maybe that's the problem. Maybe I'd rather be out taking a walk and enjoying the greenery...or making love and feeling the cool breeze over mine and my lover's naked bodies, while we share some strawberries and wine...
Maybe I just don't feel like thinking heavy and profound thoughts about the problems with the FCC's review of the policies governing cross-ownership...or further researching the DOPA legislation....or fretting about the nature of citizen journalism....
Maybe I just want to play right now, because, when it comes down to it, I don't really play all that much. I take breaks, where I work on something else. There's always A Project in the wings, few of which are paying anything, and more of which are giving me bang-my-head-against-the-wall completion kiniptions.
Yeah...maybe I just need to get laid for an entire day.
And then I'd only want to do it another day.
I think what it boils down to is that I don't have balance. It's all-or-nothing for everything in my life. It's a sense of obligation and "have to" all the time, with no summer break like at college.
That's what I think made the work I did at college more rewarding--I'd work my ass off for a couple of months, then take a couple of weeks or a month off. I got used to that rhythum, and haven't adjusted to the adult model of doing things, which requires huge amounts of work and small amounts of pleasure at odd intervals.
Who am I to want to have concentrated blocks of pleasure-time? Do I think I'm some kind of gifted wealthy person or something? I'm not that lucky so I have to keep my nose to the grindstone until it turns into a bloddy pulp.
Bloody hell!
Guess I'm just going to have to deal with all that serious content locked in my head until I figure out a way to create the kind of pleasure that will then, like a giant mental purgative, flush all that serious stuff from my brain to my keyboard and to my blog.
better happen fast, I'm beginning to feel a bit bloated...
posted by Tish Grier at 4:52 PM
4 Comments:
Maybe you missed this. It's sort of fun -- if you can call it that. Agence France Press ran two different stories about Buschco and the new airline terror alert. One was a scathing critique of Bush, Cheney, et al. The second, later story made it seem both parties were equally guilty of exploiting the foiled plot for partisan political gain. The headlines were as different as the stories:
Bush seeks political gains from foiled plot
Bush, foes seek political gains from foiled plot
What a difference a word makes! Play the game of Compare and Contrast by checking out the two different versions of AFP story for yourself. And speculate on what the significance is, if any.
wow! what a non-sequiter!
The type of headline you're talking about guy, is the kind of thing that was elaborated on in the book Eats, Shoots, and Leaves.
And so what? how is this pertinent to my blogger's block--other than that, perhaps, you either don't like the way I've punctuated something, or you're trying to increase traffic to your blog. If the latter is true, it's a cheezy, cheap attempt and smells of spam. I've looked at your blog, and would have expected better of you...too bad.
Hi, Tish. I've been having a creative block in every facet of my life: art, writing, you name it.
"The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron has really helped me. I'm sure you've heard of it. All I know is, I needed that book a decade ago, and I need it once again.
Cheers to your recovery! :-)
hi shamash...sorry to hear you've got the "blocks" too. Sometimes I wonder what causes it in me. I know that sometimes it's a boatload of unresolved anger that gets mutated into depression (I'm prone to it.)
I read The Artist's Way years ago--went looking for it on my bookshelf this a.m. I thought it was one of those books I lost years ago to my ex husband, but, no--it's there. I'll have to take a look at it again. I know I've lost my center somewhere--but then again, I'm not even sure there ever was a center. :-(
Post a Comment
<< Home