17 May 2009

Had writer's block


Who had writer's block for a while?

Me, that's who. I actually don't believe in "writer's block."
That is to say I DIDN'T believe in writer's block.
If someone had said to me they were having trouble writing, I would have said,
"Oh, you mean you're irretrievably lazy?"

But now I get it. If I don't rest, relax and enjoy what I'm doing,
I'm probably going to get "backed up."
So what got me free? Just being able to lay it on the line with the West Seattle Writers' Group.
That's what freed me up. I'm amazed by how often just talking about a problem can have the solution to the problem materialize, just crazy-good!

So... I am re-submitting my "Regular Guy" screenplay to the NWSG.
I am starting a Seattle food blog and I may even update my Facebook page every now and then.

Here's a snippet of something I am working on...

"Water"

All I wanted was a glass of water. I didn't care what my boss was saying, I didn't care what kind of trouble I was in, I was consumed by thirst.

Maybe that was my problem. I was consumed by the trivial. Trivialities like; honor, trust, respect and style.
That was a problem. Sally droned on about the depth of the problem at hand, but all I could think of was water.
Clear, purifying, dreamy, silky and wet.

"John, do you hear me?" Her voice reaches me.
"I hear you, I heard you twice the first time."

I close the door behind me to punctuate my sentence, to give an exclamation point to leaving her office.

I walk towards my desk. Correction, my old desk. I grab the picture of Kara from it. I leave the four years of dust, my coffee cup, my "Hang In There" poster, my past, some office supplies and five packets of Top Ramen Noodles.

All this trouble 'cause I told the truth. It makes me smile. I haven't smiled in a while. A long while and now I can't stop. And my thirst is gone. My smile gets wider.

2 comments:

karen ussery said...

You have a gift, my friend. You.

Unknown said...

Hey, Raymond--Anne Marie here--I miss you guys madly, and am glad to hear of your adventures in Seattle, and with writing and eating. Good place to be a foodie. Speaking of which, I wanted to hook you up with my favorite Seattle food blogger: Gluten Free Girl Shauna Ahern: http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/
She, like you, gets food.

Love,
Anne Marie