When There's Nothing to Write About...

 

As if there'd EVER be nothing to write about! I'm never at a loss for ideas (or words). There's always something to write about … always. Have you ever read the book Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott? Friends Ted and Karen on Sequester gave it to me in New Zealand and it's so good, I've kept it instead of passing it on. I've read and reread it. It's tagline is “Some instructions on writing and life.” Lamott quotes Flannery O'Connor who said “anyone who survived childhood has enough material to write for the rest of his or her life.”

Lamott's younger brother has procrastinated writing a term paper on birds for his science class and he's grousing and verklempt about it as he sits the night before the paper's due date, wondering where to begin and how to tackle the writing task. His father merely states “Bird by bird, son, bird by bird.”. It's the same with writing a daily blog, a novel or dealing with any major challenge in life. It's the way to handle life's dragons … one at a time... dragon by dragon … bird by bird.

All I need to do is read a newspaper or a magazine, take a walk or a ride, think about our sailing life, edit photos, watch (or not watch) television or just veg out. I can come up with a hundred ideas that can turn into blog posts with some thought and nurturing. I keep a running list of possible blog topics and have maybe a dozen posts in different states of progress going at any one time. Of course, come to think of it, this also might reflect upon the fact that I'm easily distracted by shiny, bright objects and concentration isn't my long suit.

Days and Ways to Celebrate

A daily list of mostly obscure holidays and fun ways to celebrate them.

Talk Like Shakespeare Day

T'is the Bard's day of birth. Doth thou not celebrate when the moment presents? Read a play...read a poem, talk like Shakespeare!

RAQ - Why do you blog?

 

RAQ? That's a “rarely” asked question versus frequently asked, but one that caught my attention.

In these days of “everyone has a blogsite”, I was kind of dumbfounded by the question until I realized that it wasn't meant to be critical, it was really a legitimate inquiry. It takes up a lot of time, requires a daily commitment and it puts your whole life out there for everyone to see. Why would you do it?

I'm a writer. I always have been a writer in one way or another. I've always kept journals. I've always written letters. To misquote Descartes: I think, therefore, I write. Most everything that you read in my blog posts evolves from thoughts that just fall out of my head and onto the page. Part of the pleasure I derive from living on a boat and traveling around the world comes from documenting and sharing the adventure. Granted, I'm just as apt to write about bugs, Vegemite and vinegar as I am to extol the splendors of Tahiti or Machu Picchu, but still, irrespective of the subject, I seem to be driven to get it down on “paper” and share it.

So, why do I do a blog … mostly because I can. David comes along for the ride … sometime reluctantly, but of late, more willingly.

Do you have a blog? Why?

Days and Ways to Celebrate

A daily list of mostly obscure holidays and fun ways to celebrate them.

Vincent Van Gogh's Birthday

A Dutch post-Impressionist painter for those of you who've been living in a cave for your whole lives. Visit an art museum today, listen to "Starry, Starry Night" or view some of his paintings online.

Pencil Day

I love pencils...you can erase your mistakes. Learn more about pencils...fascinating stuff!