A Word or Two About Writing

Photo by Gonzalo Barrientos

Ask any writer about the writing process...go ahead...ask them. Say somethin' like, "Hey you...writer...tell me about your process..."
For every writer you ask, you'll get a different answer.  Every writer has his or her own way of going about things.  Maybe the arrangement of things on the desk has to be just so.  The cup of coffee has to be on the right side or the left side.  It has to be 5AM.  Or 2PM.  Some writers have to wear the blue, hemp "writing" hat in order to get any work accomplished...(so, okay...that's me!) Some writers have to write longhand.  Others can only write on a laptop.  And others still are die hard old school worker bees and must write on a typewriter. 

Oh, my goodness, the list goes on and on.  But from what I understand, most writers, myself included, do engage in the dance of procrastination.  For me, I am mostly writing these days in the morning.  When a good idea comes to me in the night, while I'm sleeping (and it often does) I'd better get my butt up and write down the idea, otherwise it is lost forever.  I've tried  to talk myself into believing that the idea is SO good, so lucid, that it will be there in the morning.  It never is.  NEVER.  Maybe a remnant of the idea, but only if I'm lucky.  I'm usually not!

I can think of a million things to do that have nothing to do with writing prior to plopping down and getting to the task at hand.  The funny thing is, once I'm IN it...once I've started, and I'm engaged, I love writing.  Don't get me wrong, it's hard as hell.  Mostly rewriting is hard.  Writing is fun.  Rewriting is ARDUOUS.  I love that word.  That's why I do this.  I love words. 

Photo by Billie Hara

If you want to write for a living, then you have to treat it like a job.  A job you love...but a job nonetheless.  You can make your own hours, you can write whenever you want, where ever you want.  You can wear your pajamas, or your sweats or a suit and tie for that matter.  But you need to set goals, and be disciplined, and write EVERY SINGLE DAY!  It's like exercise.  You have to do it every day to see results.  To get better at your craft.  Sure you need a break now and then.  So take a break...I'm not stopping you.  But it's essential to keep those wheels greased!

There are tons of books out there on how to write.  But I say, if you want to write, don't read about it...DO IT!  If you do want to hear what the pros have to say, here's a couple of suggestions:

•  Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird.  Even if you don't want to be a writer, you should read Anne Lamott. She's amazing, adorable, humorous...I love her.  Read everything she's ever written.  You'll be glad you did.
• And of course, I must recommend my main man, Mr. Stephen King.  His book On Writing shoots from the hip.  He tells it like it is, doesn't sugarcoat it.  Before I die, please let me meet Stephen King and thank him for the hours of reading pleasure (and terror) he has given me.  But in On Writing, he was very much my teacher, and there is no finer teacher than the master himself!

DISCIPLINE.  Say it with me. DISCIPLINE!  Good!  Because that's what it takes.  Just write!  Not every word has to be gold.  Not everything you create has to be read by somebody else.  But if you want to write...if you want to call yourself a writer, then be a Nike ad, and JUST DO IT!

Thank you for your attention during my diatribe.  Now write me a comment...that's a good way to get started!

What are you thinking, Donna Simpson?

Ok...this is a disturbing post for me to write, but I felt it was necessary.  First of all, let me preface this by saying that I am no stranger to body image issues, weight gain, weight loss, all that jazz.  I have certainly had my share of the yo-yo syndrome and it's taken me a long time to make peace with my body.  I'm not sure that I am at peace, but I've come to the conclusion that I will never be a skinny-minny and that's okay.  I want to be healthy and fit and feel good in my own skin.  I wrote a play called phat girls that deals with these very issues.  It's not about being thin...it's about being healthy.

So that being said, I've been reading about this woman named Donna Simpson who is striving to be the heaviest woman in the world.  She's currently 600 pounds and is hoping to put on at least 400 more.

My question is:  WHY?  Why would you put your attention and energy into being UNHEALTHY!  We have so much information these days regarding health, fitness, body weight, etc.  And I don't understand why someone would willingly stuff themselves with foods that can lead to heart attack, diabetes and stroke.  It's just like somebody who starts smoking.  Why, with everything we know about the hazards of smoking, would you willingly start BEFORE you even have the addiction?

If Donna is content with how she looks and feels, then more power to her.  But at this point, it's not about self-esteem and body image. It's about knowingly putting things in your body that are hazardous to your health.  She has a life partner and young children.  She is 42 years old.  Doesn't she want to be around for her family?  It's been documented that she is eating junk food galore: burgers, fries, chips and doughnuts; though apparently her favorite food is sushi.  She is most definitely, without a doubt, going to become incredibly ill and I can't believe she's doing this just so she can be in the Guiness Book of Records. 

Another victim of wanting instant fame?  This is NOT the way to go about it.  Is she just another one of the many folks out there hoping for their own reality television show?  They can call this show Watch Donna Kill Herself because that is exactly what is going to happen if she continues on this path to self-destruction.  She wants to reach 1,000 pounds in the next two years.  Really, Donna?  Really? This is your aspiration in life? Hmmm...

So tell me, what are your thoughts on Donna's quest to achieve morbid obesity? Fabulous or foolish?  I think I've made my thoughts clear.

Gotta Love That Trader Joe's!

Trader Joe's my dear friend...you never let me down!   Lately, the majority of my food consumption has been strictly from TJ's and I am loving every minute of it.  There are the tried and true items, to be sure, but I've also been experimenting occassionally with some new delights. 

I'm addicted to their Rosemary Chicken (takes 3-5 minutes to cook up and tastes like it came directly off the grill) and I love their eggplant hummus; their rolled chicken tacos, and their honey wheat pretzels are definitely a real treat.  But the other day, as I was perusing the aisles, driven by my sweet tooth, I came upon these tasty little morsels:

Trader Joe's Charmingly Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies!!!  Can you tell I'm a bit excited about this find?  Just a little! There are those of you who prefer a crunchy cookie, and more power to ya...go for the crunch...but I, myself, prefer the chewy kind...tastes fresh baked to me that way, and these are DIVINE!

 I'm not gonna tell you the caloric content because this isn't a weight loss blog...these are simply to be enjoyed with a cup of tea or cup of coffee and don't feel guilty about 'em.  After all, they're oatmeal and oatmeal is good for ya, right?

I am singing the praises of my new tasty treat.  And of course, everything in moderation, so unlike Girl Scout cookies (at 4 bucks a box...ouch) I will refrain from eating these little lovelies in one sitting.  It's not hard to do, but I shall control myself. 

If you like chewy oatmeal raisin cookies, these are "charmingly chewy" (just like the box says!)  Seriously, go get yourself some and indulge!  DEELISH! 

And if you have any particular items at Trader Joes that you absolutely love..by all means share them with me.  I'd love to hear what your favorites are!  What's the most scrumptious thing you've eaten from Trader Joe's?

Out of Print Clothing

I found this website called Out of Print Clothing.  I can't remember how I found it--you all know how this crazy Internet works.  It ain't called the world wide WEB for nothin'!  You just keep clicking away and clicking away, and you get lost in the labyrinth of all the information.  (Ha!  Labyrinth--fancy word!) But it truly is amazing what you can find here.  Time mysteriously disappears as you enter the maze and before you know it, it's dark outside and you're starving because you've been glued to your computer screen all damn day! Wow....where did that little tangent come from?  Well, it's true---web surfing is a time sucker...no doubt about that!

Anyway, Out of Print Clothing is an awesome online shop that sells tee shirts displaying the covers of some of the greatest classic pieces of literature of all time.  If you love books and you love to read, you're with me on this one.  Out of Print is not just all about the shirts though...they are terrific people who want to spread the joy of reading.  They have a partner, Books in Africa, and for each shirt they sell, one book is donated to a community in need.  How cool is that, I ask you? 

Here are a couple of my favorite shirts:

This one is "Streetcar Named Desire."  One of the greatest plays EVER!

There are tons more titles to choose from, so go check it out.  Their site is

http://www.outofprintclothing.com/

So go be literary!  And support books, because with all this new technology, I'm  afraid they'll become obsolete.  I love books.  I love holding them, reading them, smelling them, collecting them, and reading them again.  And now I get to wear book covers on my body!  How cool is that?

March Forth!

I'm dedicating this blog entry to my brother Andy.  All my life, my bro has been my champion, supporting me and believing in me during times when I could barely believe in myself.  This morning, I received an email from him where he pointed out the significance of today's date:  March 4th.  In this case, as we enter the 3rd month of 2010 (Geez, where the hell is the time going??) we need to march forth, onward and upward even when our days continue to be tumultuous and challenging.

Thank you brother, for reminding me to keep my head up, my determination high and to March Forth!  I hope you and everyone reading this will be able to do the same! 

Cast Member Confidential

I'm blogging about someone else's book.  I don't even know the guy who wrote this, but I'm plugging his book anyway because I thought it was a very interesting read.  And a fast read...I read it in one day.  What the hell was I doing reading someone else's book all day long, when I should have been working on my own?  Well...what can I tell ya?  It's good to read other people's work. 

So here's the scoop on "Cast Member Confidential" by Chris Mitchell.  It is:  "the story of a young man who runs away to Disney World, expecting a fantasy Neverland where everybody’s happy and nobody ever dies. After getting a job as a photographer in Walt’s Kingdom, he soon discovers the dark secrets behind Disney’s thin veil of innocence and entertainment."

If you'd rather not see the metaphorical man behind the curtain, and keep the Disney magic alive when you visit the park, then perhaps you'd better not read this.  But honestly, it probably isn't anything you haven't figured out by now.  Like I said, it's really entertaining and well-written.  So go have a look-see at the underbelly of Disney...it's very provocative and lots of fun to read!  And hey...Chris Mitchell, author of this memoir...you're welcome for the shout-out!

That Jenny Craig Commercial...

I'm just now getting to the first blog of 2010 and we're already 20 days in.  Ah well...it could be worse...it could be April!

So right off the bat I need to vent a bit about those current Jenny Craig commercials with Valerie Bertinelli and Sarah Rue.  First of all, Val looks AMAZING!  She really does.  And apparently she's going to turn 50 in a couple of months and run a marathon.  Way to rock it Valerie!  She doesn't even look close to 50.  She looks at least 10 years younger.  And now we have Sarah Rue, who looks at least 5-10 years older than her 31 years (I Wikipedia-searched her and found out her age...with all my spare time and all...)

My beef is the lame-ass banter that these two gals trade in this latest commercial.  It's so stupid.  Val says Sarah is gonna try Jenny.  Sarah says she wants to lose 30 pounds.  Then she says Val is her role model. So far so good.  But then Val says she would like to be Sarah's mentor and Sarah says, "or like a Mum."  Yeah...you read that write...no typo there...she says Mum.  Not Mom....but Mum. It's very bothersome.  And then Val says, "or like an older sister or something," and Sarah says again, "or like a Mum."

What the hell is up with this British pronunciation?  Am I the only one that this feels like fingernails on a chalkboard?  Technically, maybe Valerie could be Sarah's "Mum" but this should NOT be the focus of this commercial.  Val looks amazing and doesn't look 50 and frankly the dialogue between these two gals, back and forth stinks.  They need to hire me to write their commercials!  Presumably, my area of expertise is DIALOGUE!  They both seem so ill-at-ease and it's probably because they have to say things people don't really say in real life.  *Sigh*. 

I have to mute the TV every time this commercial comes on. And it comes on a lot, because after all, it is January....the month we all promise to lose weight and get in shape and become better people and save money and save the world, and live our dream and it all goes to hell in a handbasket right about the 3rd week of January.  Oh wait...this IS the third week of January.  So let me ask you....how are YOU doin' with all those lovely resolutions?  Me?  I'm hanging tough.  For now. 

Talk to me in a couple of weeks...