Writer's Block

So here's the trick with writing a blog that is personal narrative, when you are naturally pretty reserved, and raised fairly Yankee- what do you write when the voice in your head says "that makes you sound like an ass hat; who would care about the mulch in your garden; no, that will come across as self-righteous/pompous/asinine/entitled/hollow/hypocritical."  If you don't have something useful to say, don't say it.

Etc.

(Pause to contemplate what exactly the use of an ass hat would be and the design implications... I digress, and parentheses always aid and abet me- but seriously, take a moment and imagine your own ass hat design).

You are welcome for that compelling exercise in imagination.  It was your Xmas/birthday gift for the year.  I love you and it is indeed, it is the thought that counts here.

I have a lot of free time in my mind these days- specifically in my mind, not "on my hands" because my hands are busy.  These days, my hands are cramming herring into baits bags, banding lobsters, or weeding the garden.  This leaves my mind to roam, to revel, to reverie.  The upshot is that story outlining is moving ahead apace.  Characters and content for Tales from the Wilde Isle surface regularly- just this week Jonah, Jinx, and Job showed up on my doorstep, I suspect because their parents didn't want them around.  I have found the outlet for my feelings re: the bigger-and-better boat race and the habit some people may well have of hauling other people's gear to pay for said bigger/better boats, which is a retelling of "The Fisherman and the Draug"- a classic Scandinavian ghost story.

The beautiful thing about fiction is that you can get all the vengeance your little heart desires, and it is entirely legal, and presumably doesn't make your soul all Dorian Gray manky.   And the beautiful thing about manual labor is that you have your mind to yourself.

But what to write for the blog?  You see, I had set a goal for myself- to post at least every week; only by writing can you become a writer, and blogging is a business tool, and a regular writing exercise.  And a couple of weeks have flown by... and... date and time stamps, and any sort of public will keep you honest.

I have not met my goal because I've been over-editing before even sitting down to draft.   This is hilarious, given that the root of my writer's block is anxiety about the audience's reception of me and my little preoccupations.  Everyone is absurd in their passions and preoccupations- perhaps growing up (growing out?) is allowing yourself to be publicly absurd.

And let's be honest, right now that "public" is only friends and family (Hi!- seriously, happy birthday/merry Xmas!) and they are patently familiar with my particular peculiarities.

So sit down, and work through it, woman.