Notes on Writing Continuously

 Ok. Time to get some keystrokes in before this day ends and my exercise in futility meets a disappointing but expected defeat. 

I start doing this the day before the new year, and, so far, it hasn't been so bad. A few of these posts were somewhat dialed in. And while others were hideous attempts at translating thought into digestible content, others have been a little sustaining. So that's a win, I guess. 

I don't know if I have what it takes to become a prolific writer. Probably way too late in the game for that. Hell, I probably can't become a consistent one. But at least I've made it eight days now and haven't wavered or thrown in the towel.

Today pushed it a little bit. I'll admit it. But I plopped my aging ass into the chair and started writing. And I'm still writing. So, I don't think I'm doing too bad. 

Writing about Dr. Bob and the deflated pirate truckers project awakened a few thoughts yesterday. It also pulled a few buried regrets out of the tomb. But at least I'm now thinking about that project again. It had some potential. 

It occurs to me that before I try to resuscitate that left-for-dead misadventure, I should probably try to come up with a solid theme for these posts. Politics grabs my goat; maybe I should just go with that. If I do that, though, I need to stay off Twitter. Even the know-nothings on that shitshow would put me to shame, or at least give me something I shouldn't compare myself with, which I inevitably would, and then the whole damn trial period would end without even a damned refund. 

Yeah, maybe politics. Maybe just current events. God knows I have plenty to say about both. The problem is putting those thoughts into something worth reading. Or original. And how do I write something good and/or original if I'm constantly worried about writing something good or original?

Yeah yeah. I just need to do it. I've kind of gone full monty on this experiment, in that I'm just doing total stream of consciousness naked and out there without really listening to the voices in my head or the chatter elsewhere. I should just do that and not worry at all about how anything is going to stack up. Right? Is that a good approach to writing?

How the hell should I know. I see the word "I" so much in my writing I'm beginning (have always) to think this is just an exercise in narcissism. Or, maybe that's what writing really is--having a conversation with yourself to figure out what you actually know and think and drag that shit out into the open. Put the debate in your head to paper so you can better understand those crazy thoughts spiraling past one another in the dark.

Talking to myself all these years certainly hasn't been much help. So maybe it's time to just let go and run with it, let the stream flow and see where it goes. 

But I DO need a goddam theme here. No more futzin around on that part. I need something to channel, so that it at least doesn't look like we're just logging fucking journal entries here. 

Just a general theme. Nothing too specific. Politics or general events. Or being a father. Or writing (?). 

Is it write what you know? Whoever said that had no imagination. 

Whatever. I have a headache and backache and need another drink.

Til Tomorrow