Idea Book

I’m in this mood where all I want to do is read books about writing. Stephen King’s On Writing got the ball rolling, but now I am thinking about The Elements of Style along with all of the other classics. But I suspect that the main reason I want to consume these books is not because of  any actual benefit, but more of a way to avoid actually writing. I can remember a tweet I wrote in the midst of my very scary one-act play writing period.

I even knew back then that nearly everything I do that does not involve writing is merely an attempt to avoid writing. For some reason I am scared to just sit down and bang on the keyboard. A few months ago, I was regularly writing a series called Sir Baldric Hubspink KBE which was largely inspired by the works of P.G. Wodehouse and the entire milieu of Edwardian England. One week came along and I said “Oh well, I’ll take this week off.” . Not one word has been added to that series since. I always seem to give in to that instinct which tells me that I’ve worked much to hard and ought to have a break. It is that same instinct that tells you to give up in the middle of a cross country marathon, or to give up when you’re stranded on a dessert island. What do you call this instinct, or feeling? Perhaps the “Wimpy Instinct” ? Maybe. Nonetheless, I am going to start disregarding what that instinct says and listen to the other one, the instinct that finishes the cross country marathon, and finishes that serialized story.

One thing that I hope will help me get back on the writing wagon is what I am going to call an “Idea Book”.  The concept is not new ; essentially, you get a notebook, preferably small and portable, maybe a moleskine-type notepad, and you jot down all of your ideas. There is not a lot to it, no elaborate system, but the concept of constantly having a clean slate where you can record those ideas that come to you during life’s dull moments is pretty nifty. I have just adopted it and have already found it useful. In a restaurant I was eating at earlier today, I thought of this interesting idea that could possibly make a short story, so, with my “Idea Book” in hand, I jotted down this thought. My hope is that I will wake up tomorrow morning and start working on this story, however aweful it turns out. Writing crap is fine, so long as you do not put anyone through the pain of actually reading it. That’s been my philosophy all along.