Chances Are

CHANCES ARE if you enjoy reading poetry, you’ll believe you understand how to write it. Chances are if you try writing it, you’ll realize you have no idea what you’re doing.

Chances are if you respect yourself, as well as others, you’ll hide it in the desk drawer.

That’s the reason I stopped writing haiku last September. That’s the reason you’re not reading the poem I’ve been sweating over the past two days.

That’s the reason I will be sticking to prose.

All kidding aside, though, I’ve been busy during my three-month hiatus. I found a new computer that I call HAL-2010, a not-so-good replacement for my long-lost love, HAL. Unfortunately HAL-2010  also had serious issues although they had nothing to do with his hardware. After months of struggle, though, he was finally straightened out last week by Harrison B. (a nice computer man with a glow-in-the-dark plate in his head).

So what else have I been up to? Well, I finished my latest book. Yes, really. It’s entitled Nonessential: The Expansion Paradox, and you can read the first page here. It’s in the design stages now and will be available for purchase in the next couple of months.

All right, so you’re wanting to know what my poem was about. Tell you what, I’ll let you read the last three lines if you promise not to laugh. I’ve laughed enough for the both of us.

The last three lines of my awful poem:

Bang bang from the hall
shooting at the iron clock
nailed upon the wall.

See? I told you it was bad.

 

*** As always, I love to hear from you. If you’re in the cyber-neighborhood, drop me a line. In the meantime, keep writing, reading and smiling, It’s contagious.

Hal Is Dead

Hal Is Dead

YES, IT'S TRUE. My computer took a train to Cincinnati or Happy Dale or wherever it is that computers go when they decide to part from their masters.

Although I can't begin to tell you how upset I am—Hal and I had a stimulating, four-year relationship—I do want to share a few things I learned this week while being "unplugged."

1. The Internet is nothing more than a distraction. Granted, it has its pros AND cons like anything else, but I can't say I've missed it.
2. The world will pass you by if you let it. Stop talking or driving or writing or playing with the computer or whatever it is that you're doing, so you can watch, LISTEN, and dream.
3. Everything is not all about me. Other human beings are walking around out there. Enough said.
4. Your environment will control you if you let it. Domineering people are best left under the rock where they live and insurmountable problems are best met head-on. In other words, don't let negativity get the best of you.
5. Nice people really do exist. You may think it odd that I mention this, but for me this has been the most important lesson I've learned this week. After a scarring experience I had with a funeral-home employee about two weeks ago (yeah, really), I had given up on the human race and was ready to renounce my own humanity. What changed me? Two remarkable people. 
• Person #1, who knows I am a starving artist, offered me the use of her computer to check my email and write my weekly blog posts until I can get my life in order. Yeah, really.
• Person #2, a new acquaintance, drove out to my house twice (I live in the middle of nowhere), carted Hal all over the countryside in his attempt to fix him and price parts (we both eventually decided that Hal wasn't worth fixing), and sympathized with me on the phone and my doorstep at least five times about the whole situation. Not only that, but after the madness was over he insisted he did NOTHING. Yeah, really.

As you can see, I've had quite the emotional roller-coaster ride these past two weeks. Yet, despite the problems and the losses, I can't help but think I'm lucky that Hal did take that train.

I've gotten back my life, my hope, and my humanity.

***

As always, I love to hear from you.

If you’re in the cyber-neighborhood, drop me a line.

In the meantime, keep writing, reading, and smiling.
It’s contagious.

Seanachaí's News

ON THE LAST SUNDAY of each month, I compile "Seanachaí's News," a status report that assesses my work during the current month and also formulates my plans for the upcoming months. It will also give you a peek at my works in progress.

My Work During the Current Month

1. Have you lost your motivation? Get it back with "The Golden Flower of Inspiration."
2. "Striving for Greatness" is all about the beauty of individuality.
3. When you read your work, do you feel like you're looking into a mirror? Step back from it and think about "The Real You."
4. "Unplug the Robots!" Just read it.

 

My Plans for the Upcoming Months

1. The Bad News: I had a complete system meltdown this week. Yeah, really. I'm using a friend's computer to write this blog post because Hal—my computer—is dead and I have no idea how to revive him. I'm also mourning the loss of irreplaceable files. Always, always, always remember to take a few extra minutes out of your day to back up those files!
2. The Good News:  I did not lose my book or my outline because I saved both to my flash drive about two hours before the crash. However, without a computer, my time to work is limited, so my online presence will be brief. A friend is going to give me the number of another friend who is a whiz with computers, so hopefully by this time next week I'll be up and running again. If you don't hear from me next week, know that I'm working on the problem and I'll be back as soon as possible.

***

As always, I love to hear from you.

If you’re in the cyber-neighborhood, drop me a line.

In the meantime, keep writing, reading, and smiling.
It’s contagious.

Unplug the Robots

I'M DROWNING in my latest WIP, so I'm going to make this brief. 

To all of you who have children, children who are unable to breathe or walk without the aid of headphones or earbuds or whatever they are and unable to speak or write without sliding their thumbs over a keyboard or keypad or whatever they are…

Please, please, PLEASE, unplug these robots from their hardware for a few hours a day and give them something new to play with like a book—sheets of typed paper that are bound and have designs on the first and last pages—or a number-two pencil and a tablet—a long yellow wooden stick with a pink end and sheets of blue-lined paper bound with a silver coil. 

Remember, in thirty years these children will be writing YOUR social security checks (unless these children decide to throw out the word "humanity") and they will be managing YOUR funds and YOUR life…that is, if they haven't forgotten how to think or write.

Oh, and after you've unplugged your children and you hear them making noises other than beeps (that's a good thing!), don't forget to unplug yourself.

***

As always, I love to hear from you.

If you’re in the cyber-neighborhood, drop me a line.

In the meantime, keep writing, reading, and smiling.
It’s contagious.

 

The "Real" You

IF YOU FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER, you'll recall that earlier this week I mentioned having a life-changing discussion with a writer-friend of mine. Although the discussion had nothing to do with writing, it sparked an awareness and determination that had been missing in my life and my writing.

So, what was the discussion about? Before I go any further, I want to say this, "I'm not telling."

The Reason I'm Not Telling

No, I'm not trying to be coy. The topic of the discussion that changed my life would be of no significance to anyone but me. Despite the unintentional subterfuge, I do want to say that I've discovered more about myself in one afternoon than I have in the past five years.

The Problem

I've been lacking the motivation to work on my current project which happens to be a lengthy novel of fiction involving certain aspects of the human condition. After this discussion that I mentioned, I've now discovered that I'm writing a pseudo-biographical work on aspects of my condition; hence, the avoidance of writing. I know I've written on the subject of fact versus fiction before, but with each work I compose—whether it be fiction or nonfiction—I discover something new about my writing and about myself. Sometimes I like what I see and sometimes I don't, but with each truth I uncover, I need to realize that each is a part of me whether I want to admit it or not.

Solving the Problem

This is no easy task due to the unexpectedness of the situation in which I now find myself. Each day before I begin working on my project, I'm going to bear in mind that although this work is an extension of J.E. the writer, it's also a fabrication, a dream world for misguided characters and agendas that may or may not be facets of J.E. the person. I cannot allow myself to become lost in this world and I cannot allow myself to be swallowed up by the manifestation, glorification, or fictionalization of the thoughts and insecurities that lie deep within me.

What about you? 

Are you struggling with a particular piece? Are you having trouble finding motivation? Is it possible that this piece says more about the "real" you, then you care to admit? 

Step back from it. While you may see your beliefs, your fears, and your dreams unfolding in this work, realize and understand that you are your own person and that this work—I don't care if it's fiction or not—is nothing more than an illusion that you're creating for your readers.

Coming Full Circle

So, you're still wanting to know the topic of the discussion that made me realize I was writing about the "real" me. All right, it had to do with the inaccuracy of the globe on my bookshelf. See? I told you it would mean nothing to anyone but me.

***

As always, I love to hear from you.

If you’re in the cyber-neighborhood, drop me a line.

In the meantime, keep writing, reading, and smiling.
It’s contagious.