Sorting through my own personal documents and writing folders I reminded myself today just how much I wish I was better at actually finishing things. I love writing, I really do. While I might have the occasional wishful thinking moment or aspiration to actually be 'an author' at some stage, it isn't a consuming, must achieve, 'will die bitter and twisted if it doesn't happen' type of thing...writing is something that works for me as a creative outlet, a source of inspiration and a means to serve that odd compulsion to tell stories that you think people might find interesting (at least in so far as you imagine a fictional audience in your mind). So I am a writer, even if it is just for myself, I am just not an author. Mainly because I don't actually finish the damn stories!
Part being busy, part being lazy, but mostly getting distracted by the next idea for a story means the amount of unfinished, part finished, almost finished and nowhere near finished work on my hard drive is really quite scary when I actually take the time to look through it all. There are at least a couple of books in there, maybe even three, I just need to actually find the time or motivation to turn drafts into actual coherent tales or possibly even finish anything other than a short story.
One day the motivation will come, randomly clash with a gap in the schedule and the stars will align...I keep promising myself that...at least I still have the enjoyment derived from the writing itself, and you know what? Most days that is more than enough of a payoff for me.
...and the shortlist of stuff on the interest horizon this week...
Listening to: Pearl Jam - The Fixer (while eagerly awaiting the new album)
Watched: Inglorious Basterds (Everything Tarantino usually does well and everything he usually does badly he again does here and I'll jump right on the 'Christoph Waltz should get an Oscar nomination' bandwagon)
Want to watch: The Men who Stare at Goats (if it lives up to the trailer I can't wait for this one!) and Extract (A Mike Judge film I will always watch just because Office Space is quite probably part of the actual magical formula for making funny movies)
Watching: Warehouse 13 (not half as bad as I first feared but only in the light, enjoyable, throw away type of way)
Can't wait to watch: Fringe season two (has a lot of expectation to live up to here!)
Playing: Dissidia on the PSP (developing a very strong love / hate thing there. Entertaining and frustrating in equal measure )
Finished Reading: Murakami's After Dark (short, possibly pointless but still absolutely mesmerizing)
Want to read: Actually out of books on the shelf...open to suggestions!
Bought: Flight Vol 6 (ok, actually got this before the trip to Germany but forgot to mention it, and must do so now as it is every bit as fantastic as this annual offering usually is.)
Hmmmm....maybe if there wasn't such a list of 'stuff' I would find time for more writing!
Part being busy, part being lazy, but mostly getting distracted by the next idea for a story means the amount of unfinished, part finished, almost finished and nowhere near finished work on my hard drive is really quite scary when I actually take the time to look through it all. There are at least a couple of books in there, maybe even three, I just need to actually find the time or motivation to turn drafts into actual coherent tales or possibly even finish anything other than a short story.
One day the motivation will come, randomly clash with a gap in the schedule and the stars will align...I keep promising myself that...at least I still have the enjoyment derived from the writing itself, and you know what? Most days that is more than enough of a payoff for me.
...and the shortlist of stuff on the interest horizon this week...
Listening to: Pearl Jam - The Fixer (while eagerly awaiting the new album)
Watched: Inglorious Basterds (Everything Tarantino usually does well and everything he usually does badly he again does here and I'll jump right on the 'Christoph Waltz should get an Oscar nomination' bandwagon)
Want to watch: The Men who Stare at Goats (if it lives up to the trailer I can't wait for this one!) and Extract (A Mike Judge film I will always watch just because Office Space is quite probably part of the actual magical formula for making funny movies)
Watching: Warehouse 13 (not half as bad as I first feared but only in the light, enjoyable, throw away type of way)
Can't wait to watch: Fringe season two (has a lot of expectation to live up to here!)
Playing: Dissidia on the PSP (developing a very strong love / hate thing there. Entertaining and frustrating in equal measure )
Finished Reading: Murakami's After Dark (short, possibly pointless but still absolutely mesmerizing)
Want to read: Actually out of books on the shelf...open to suggestions!
Bought: Flight Vol 6 (ok, actually got this before the trip to Germany but forgot to mention it, and must do so now as it is every bit as fantastic as this annual offering usually is.)
Hmmmm....maybe if there wasn't such a list of 'stuff' I would find time for more writing!
Comments
You should put some of your short stories or stuff out here for people to read! I am sure that people would give some good feedback :)
and if you want a good book to read I just finished one called the 'The Gone Away World' by Nick Harkaway that was well worth a read, was kind of like an english take on a post apocalypse setting
Very few people have actually gotten to read the stuff I write (well, aside from the bits and pieces in AO that made it into the game), not sure whether I am quite ready for that ;)