Tag: Relaxed writers

Ten to Win, Five to Show

Is this me?

This post is my tenth. It must be significant in some way. The last four times I posted something, WordPress informed me that my next milestone was post number ten. Will I get a prize, some recognition, a trophy? How about money? Probably not. Still, ten posts IS significant on a blog that, quite frankly, seemed dying or dead just a few days ago.

I couldn’t finish anything I started writing. I tried. I compared my writing with the work of other writers on WordPress. I read great stuff. I wanted to write great stuff. I tried. I so desperately tried to write great stuff that all I managed to write was stuff. Stuff I wouldn’t even want to read. But hey, I did try. Then I quit.

Watching TV seemed like a whole lot more attractive an offer. It was easier.

But I got up this morning and felt cheated. I wasted an entire weekend with just a few half-assed attempts at writing something. No, writing isn’t easy for me; is it for anyone? No, I don’t have even a tiny fraction of the talent I think I do, nor the skills. But I cheated myself. I pissed away precious time out of my life staring at a television, precious time that would have been better spent working with these marvelous things we call words.

So this is my tenth post. If I do get a prize, it should be the booby prize—for being the boob in front of the tube. But hey, I tried.

The Post Where We Reach an Agreement

Without a doubt, I am trying too freakin’ hard and making this way too difficult. This is the sixth post I have started since last Thursday. If I actually complete this one, it will be the first. All the others are languishing as “drafts,” waiting for that magical moment, that special ingredient, that one great word or sentence before they blossom into the lovely flowers of prose they so want to be. I’m trying not to write garbage, but I am determined to finish this, save it, edit it, and by–God publish it. It’s up to you to read it – and if you don’t, that’s fine too. At least I can take solace knowing I actually finished it.

So this is going to be the middle, which comes after the beginning and before the end, at least in most socially acceptable situations, this being one. I allow myself some crudeness in my language. I reserve the right, though, to be sensible with the crudity. (Wow, I wasn’t sure that was a word, but since the spellchecker didn’t flag it, it must be.) I learned a new word from the BBC; feck; it hovers over crudity like a dragonfly over water, but it never quite dives in to get mired up in the muck of Carlin’s seven words. It’s a good word, a useful word. I like it and I’ll use it.

Since this is another paragraph in the middle, it means I am on a roll, a rather creative roll, a roll not likely to be seen again by human eyes, in most socially acceptable situations that don’t involve crude words. Creativity is not my strong suit. I usually like clubs for trump, when I am dealt them. So rather than fool you into believing I have a creative mind, I just club words to death until they shape up like I want them. They rarely resist. I rarely succeed. We reach an agreement.

I made it this far, this being the end. I looked back up the page, actually the screen, and discovered that I failed. Yes, I succeeded in writing this. Yes, I succeeded in finishing it. Yes, I succeeded in writing rubbish. So I failed and I succeeded. They cancel each other. We reach an agreement. We’ll end it right here.

Photo courtesy FreeFoto.com

If Your Blog Dies, It’s Your Own Fault, Not Ours

I failed to write anything yesterday. In my mind, I came up with several ideas, and even some opening sentences. The problem is, in my perverse pursuit of perfection, I wordsmithed them to the point of useless drivel. Call it writer’s block if you want; I call it fatigue and frustration.

When I started this blog a few weeks ago, I did so with two simple goals in mind. One, I intended to use this as a platform to improve my writing. Two, I wanted to learn the ins and outs and ups and downs and everything in-between of WordPress and blogging. I didn’t intend make it a new chore. I still don’t.

This morning I ran across a blog post entitled 10 Reasons Why Your Blog WILL Die Before Its First Birthday on thebacklight.com. Marcus Sheridan of The Sales Lion wrote the post a year ago. Since I am brand new to the blogging world, it was new and worthwhile reading for me.

In fact, I thought about this a lot today. Here are the ten reasons and my thoughts on the steps I need to take to get this blog past its first birthday. Continue reading “If Your Blog Dies, It’s Your Own Fault, Not Ours” →