Like Giving Myself an Appendectomy

February 23, 2009

Some days, writing is a breeze.  Everything falls into place with perfect style and grace, and I feel like I can do no wrong.  Then there are the days when writing is an unholy struggle.  Pulling the words out of my noggin is like giving myself an appendectomy…grueling, messy, and unlikely to succeed.  Just finding time can be a nightmare.  Today was one of those days.  Not only did I not hit my new daily goal of 1200 words, but I’m still fighting to squeeze out a mere 1,000.  I still have a hundred words to put on the page, and it’s almost midnight!  I hate days like this, hate ’em hate ’em hate ’em.

But what can I do about it?  Nothing.  Just wrap up and get some sleep and move on.  Start tomorrow fresh, resolved to be more productive.  The crappiness of today will fade with the deep of night; there’s nowhere to go from the depths of despair but up.

And it’s true that one good thing came out of today on the writing side!  My pal, Brandon Wilt, is a dynamite comic book artist and owner and operator of the local comic store, Bent Wookee Comix.  (Yes, you read that right!  It’s named after a line from The Simpsons.)  Brandon has worked with me on several projects over the years and has always been quick to lend support to my writing efforts.  To that end, he posted a note on the Bent Wookee blog about my latest publications in Crime Spells, In the Hunt: Unauthorized Essays About Supernatural, and Star Trek Magazine #16.  In the interests of cross-pollination, here’s a link to the Bent Wookee blog.  Be sure to check it out!  Brandon and his team of comic book fans, artists, and writers post some crazy stuff on that blog, from racy pictures to laff-a-minute reviews of the latest funny books.  Thanks for your support, Brandon!

Now, here’s today’s travel photo from the archives.  This time, it’s a shot of me at Watkins Glen, New York in 2002.  What an amazingly beautiful place.  See you tomorrow!

Watkins Glen, New York, 2002

Watkins Glen, New York, 2002