Resurrection and Environment

I last posted in September, after declaring that I was back, that this blog would be updated more often, that this time, I was really going to make it work. That obviously didn't happen. For those of you bored enough to keep track, this is attempt number three. 

Sidenote: In the last entry, I made a dumb joke about the impending economic collapse of the global markets. It turns out that I am eerily prescient. 

Back on track. To ensure that I continue to update and keep you all informed, I had a genius idea. This is no longer a blog about me, this is a blog about my writing. What goes into it, what I think of what I am working on, what I am reading that is inspiring me to write (or what I am currently throwing across the room in disgust). I think that this will be much more manageable overall, and possibly, more enjoyable for you. 

I guess a brief history is in order. I have known for probably about three years now that I wanted to be a writer, although I was never sure what exactly that meant. I remember very clearly going to the Best Buy that I now work at and purchasing a laptop, thinking that that purchase would galvanize me into writing more frequently. It worked for a while, but the problem was that I wanted to write these weird stories that fit into no genre; Lovecraftian love stories, and strange clashes between a post apocalyptic Huxley inspired world inhabited by the characters from a Graham Green novel. Not surprisingly, the majority of this was crap. 

One laptop later (seriously, Vista sucks), some amazing teachers and a probably five hundred dollars at the book store later, I am officially a writer. No one who doesn't know me reads me, very few people wait with bated breath for my next story, and the quality of my stories is erratic at best. But I am a writer. Because writers write. And thats what I do. 

A sheer force of will to do what I want to do, regardless of setbacks or limitations of talent. 

So, now that I think we are caught up, I thought I would throw down a few ideas about creating a writing environment, or at least, share what mine is like. 

A cluttered fucking mess is probably a good description. For whatever reason, if my apartment is too clean, specifically, if my desk or my coffee table is too clean, I find it hard push through those moments of self doubt. I can not say how many times I have been stuck, only to let my eyes wander and have them land across an empty beer bottle, or a book, or a matchbook from some bar that I was at a while ago, and all of a sudden, it strikes some form of inspiration inside of me that fills me with a new wind. Also important is music, or some kind of ambient noise. Sometimes the TV is on, set to nothing interesting. Other times, I choose whatever music that I can find that doesn't have lyrics. Godspeed You! Black Emperor is good for this, along with Explosions in the Sky, Samsa, Slut Machine, Tarantula Hawk, Tribes of Neurot and even though they have lyrics, Sigur Ros (probably because their lyrics are in a language that I can not understand).

I do the majority of the writing on my laptop. Writing by hand is too slow, and at this point, the keyboard of this little Macbook is second nature to me. The keys are low and smooth and flat, and I truly enjoy the feeling of typing on it. That being said, I usually do keep a notebook next to me for me to write down separate ideas as they come. Sometimes this even includes drawing maps (I have different maps of Elkwater, for instance, at different times over the last twenty years), or even story boarded illustrations of a scene. It can help to have a scene in front of you, especially if it's a place that you have actually never seen; it helps to get an idea of the surroundings and a better handle on what is important in the surrounding landscape.

Above my desk is a poster designed by my friend Eric, and a white board on which I write truly important notes, such as "Change the name of Alex's cousin in MYM to fit with the name in FIRE". It sits above me as I write, and helps eliminate problems. 

I don't drink when I write, unless I know that it's only going to be a two or three page story. I have a fear of being hammered for the final paragraphs of a story, and not remembering what I wrote. I read once that Stephen King didn't remember writing "Cujo" he was so fucked up. I don't want to do that. I don't want to not remember writing something. I also don't want to write "Cujo".

 Time to turn the phone off, open up Pages and finish what I'm working on now.

Turns out...

Well, you can't say that I didn't know what I was talking about in my last post when, over a year ago, I wrote that I would more than likely forget that I had ever made this thing. Which turned out to be a pretty accurate statement. Possibly suggesting some kind of psychic powers, a freakish sense of intuition, or just common sense. Really, it's up to you. 

The last year has been an exciting one to say the least, but really, our time is probably better spent on jumping into the near past. If I talked about all that has happened in the last year, this post would be almost certain to hit thousands of pages, thus bringing the whole of the internet to a crashing halt. Stock prices in Singapore would start plummeting eventually leading to a complete global economic collapse, and I would be lynched by the suddenly poor and hungry. Or maybe I am just too lazy. 

Today was my third day working at Best Buy out at Village Pointe. It's an exciting job filled with interactions with all kinds of product that I love in a pretty relaxed environment. I have no doubt that as the holidays get closer the stress level will rise exponentially, but as of mid September, I think I am sitting pretty damn well off. I am an Operations Senior, which means that I count all of the money in the store and approve overrides, all while being in charge of customer satisfaction and the check out lanes as well. It is very similar to what I did as an Assistant Manager at Hy-Vee, which is probably why I got this job, as I was told that for positions at my level they very rarely hire from the outside. 

A quick thought on Hy-Vee: Fuck you, Mark Parker.

Moving on.

I am still in school, although this semester has not been near as demanding as some of the past ones. Nevertheless, I feel as if I am actually doing more work. I know that it's probably just because I am taking classes with a slower pace but I am okay with that. With everything going on, it's all right to take a breather every now and again. 

During the last couple of weeks, my friends and I have taken to adopting a tradition that has only been spoken of in hushed whispers for the last several centuries, a tradition that precedes the discovery of electricity, gravity, and even fire; a call back to our heathenistic and primal ways: I speak of course, about THE BRODEO.

 

For those of you unaware, the Brodeo is a celebration of manliness. Or something like that. Mostly it's about a lot of really good friends deciding that they're going to party likes it's motherfucking Ragnarok. This usually starts out like this:

As you can see, a fairly simple night of drinking with the boys. However, it is around the sixth beer and the third shot that something truly goes wrong, and the Brodeo rolls into town. Unfortunately, this is the true face of the Brodeo:

Shirtless men, trading booze and bullshitting stories, throwing things at the wall and pissing outside. Broken glass and fire seared skin. Not even God can save you now.

I believe that that is all for this new post. However, before I leave I shall make a solemn oath: that I shall update again more frequently. Until next time.

(and yes, I know, this ends rather abruptly. Chaos!!)

 

In World Civ

Whoo,
First post trying out this new blogging thing. I am sitting in my world civ. class right now, completly bored out of my mind. I have to say, one of the things that annoys me the most in the world is when people in classes talk about things that they have no idea about. I want to shout at them, "hello, we're in college, let the instructor instruct, and you keep your mouth shut unless you have a question or something relevant to add to the discussion. But no one cares about your opinion or anything you want to add that is off topic."
I had to get that off my chest. More later. Or I'll totally forget about creating this thing... In which case, see ya around