For the past few days I have been battered pretty hard by allergies and haven't had much energy to do anything. So I have not blogged at all and I miss just rambling, or posting up new and unusual wanderings. Today I feel pretty crappy but I thought I would post up something of value, maybe.
The past few days I have been working on short stories, when I could breathe normally and not just sit and stare vacantly at the box. Which means, after watching two episodes of Home Improvement, which I like, and then finding myself halfway through an episode of Raymond, which for the record, NOT everyone loves, I am a case in point there, I discovered that I was bored out of my mind and I must be ill. Medication is the answer, but it makes me loopy, more then normal that is and it slows the fun stuff way down.
But I did work on the collection of short stories that I believe will see the light of day, slowly, inch by inch, they will appear for all to look upon. That is if I figure out to properly format them for digital consumption, which I will admit, is proving elusive to me at the moment. Ah well, I'll figure it out eventually.
Today though was to be a chat about muse, or the creative process. Some of the peeps I trail around on the 'net have talked a bit about it lately and I don't have a short answer, so here is a longer then tweet, less then a novel answer that probably won't make sense, but there it is.
I don't carry a muse in my pocket. If I ever find one of the wee beasties, I would probably have a chat then let it go. The glimpses I have caught paint a fickle picture of mostly frustration and anxiety, I can pass on that I think. I am not looking for consistency or to cage the inspiration, far from it. But to chase the will-o-wisp to the point of distraction seems a futile gesture that will lead to some serious, heavy drinking. In the end, it seems better to pass.
On occasion, I chat with the inspiration that comes along. Oh it comes from just about anywhere and at any given time, there is that consistency issue again.. For me it is all about taking that idea and running with it as far as it goes. Sometimes it is a hop, skip, and jump and others its a decades long diversion. Sometimes several ideas form together into something greater, sometimes not. It is a catch as catch can type of thing. Inspiration, the muse, is always welcomed, but at best it is a guest of indeterminate length. That's cool.
It is what you do with the idea left behind. It is all about the work involved, the realization of the idea. For me, it is do it, finish it, then move along. I have enough stuff floating around in various stages, that if I was to get to the move along stage and have nothing left I would be shocked. That is the key, the working until the end, to bring it all to fruition. In that, my fellow wanderers, I am severely lacking.
I believe I may have found an answer or more to the point, several answers. One of which is to blog, it keeps it all flowing. Another is to set dead lines on my self. That seems to work pretty well to keep motivated. And to lay it all out there, for all to see. By making public my desires to finish and accomplish stuff, I put the pressure on myself to not look the fool.
With that, I have a short story collection that I am desperately trying to run final edits on each story and to properly format the stuff. Plus all kinds of assorted tasks related to said project. I have a week to start the process, daylight is burning, time to just do it. That is creativity and inspiration in a nutshell right there. The desire to push it out and to do it well.
Until then.. stay tuned.
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