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On the writing life...
Nov. 22nd, 2008 06:20 am...sort of.
Despite having laid down about 8,000 words, that's as far as I'm going to get, probably, with this year's Nanowrimo effort. I've got excuses up the proverbial wazoo, but - er, paraphrasing something our Marine DI used to say - an excuse is like an anus... everybody's got one. Still, this year's effort outclasses last year's zero effort, but even saying this carries with it the faint aroma of apology.
It's not that I fall into that category often referred to as the "wannabe," the poor soul that wants to have been published more than to be a writer. After all, I've had two (eminently forgettable) books published, on Pascal and C++, and I've sold a couple of hundred articles to various computer magazines. I've "made my bones," so to speak, as a writer, and the thrill of seeing my name in print started losing its luster when I wrote for the Locust Valley Leader back in high school. (The rush from having payment checks clear, however, has never grown tiresome!)
Over the recent past, I've written translations (where the focus is exclusively on how to say things, as opposed to what to say) and maintained this LiveJournal, and these activities have served to scratch the itch that I've been told afflicts many writers.
And yet... I've never published any fiction, never told any story that hasn't hewn closely to actual events. Will I ever? I don't know.
For the first time over the course of my participation in the current LJ Idol competition - we are in week 9 - readers have been moved to note an improvement in my essays, in addition to conventional expressions of encouragement and satisfaction. And while I will admit I feel quite good about my latest effort, for the life of me I cannot grasp the trend.
Is there a trend, or was this past week a fluke? It's something to think about, in the background, while oxidizer is flowing today.
Cheers...
Despite having laid down about 8,000 words, that's as far as I'm going to get, probably, with this year's Nanowrimo effort. I've got excuses up the proverbial wazoo, but - er, paraphrasing something our Marine DI used to say - an excuse is like an anus... everybody's got one. Still, this year's effort outclasses last year's zero effort, but even saying this carries with it the faint aroma of apology.
It's not that I fall into that category often referred to as the "wannabe," the poor soul that wants to have been published more than to be a writer. After all, I've had two (eminently forgettable) books published, on Pascal and C++, and I've sold a couple of hundred articles to various computer magazines. I've "made my bones," so to speak, as a writer, and the thrill of seeing my name in print started losing its luster when I wrote for the Locust Valley Leader back in high school. (The rush from having payment checks clear, however, has never grown tiresome!)
Over the recent past, I've written translations (where the focus is exclusively on how to say things, as opposed to what to say) and maintained this LiveJournal, and these activities have served to scratch the itch that I've been told afflicts many writers.
And yet... I've never published any fiction, never told any story that hasn't hewn closely to actual events. Will I ever? I don't know.
For the first time over the course of my participation in the current LJ Idol competition - we are in week 9 - readers have been moved to note an improvement in my essays, in addition to conventional expressions of encouragement and satisfaction. And while I will admit I feel quite good about my latest effort, for the life of me I cannot grasp the trend.
Is there a trend, or was this past week a fluke? It's something to think about, in the background, while oxidizer is flowing today.
Cheers...
