To quote a friend of mine – I am a bit “flat” right now. I think I have been pushing a little bit too hard on the writing front. And to be honest, it hasn’t been all that good. I think I need a break.
Just going to recharge the batteries a bit. I’ll write when I think there is something good enough for you to read. I might have been wasting your time with a few pieces. I owe you a bit more than that.
Flat. Meaning… Too many things in my head. Too many things going on. Not feeling sharp enough. Not feeling it the way I should. Words aren’t flowing. It’s being pushed. A little bit “nothing” inside. Not a writer’s block. There are things in my head. The thoughts are there. The flame just die a little quicker than usual. Something new taking over every 5 minutes. And nothing flowing the way I want it to flow. Except uphill which is never a good thing.
This last piece on NY is an example. Too long. Not well written. Hey, the story was funny when I experienced it. It was funny when I thought of it. It just sucked when I wrote about it. And it shouldn’t happen.
Also too much writing about myself. It’s the “lazy me” to fall back on that when the rest isn’t flowing. And this blog isn’t about me. Just parts of me. Too much of me is never a good thing. Just ask my wife!
So I am stepping back and having a coffee.
Oh, don’t worry. It’s just a coffee break. I love coffee! You can NEVER have enough coffee. So I am going to sit back and have a nice Cuppa Joe.
I’ll be busy though. These pages will be busy. I might just flip a few of my 40 thoughts saved as drafts and see if I can get them off my back. Some might be half-assed pieces. Incomplete thoughts. It’s okay. I’ll just get the monkey off my back. I might throw a few more Twits on here. Or introduce a few pieces written by others I really liked. Maybe a cartoon or two from Zapiro I like so much. I am going to reintroduce a few of the pieces I did way back when I started. Maybe edit them and see how I feel about them today. I’ll fill the pages each day. Something different each day. It might actually be fun! I think it will be. Bloody hell, I hope it will be or else there would be no reason to have that coffee!
And like I said, I’ll write when it comes. When it’s ready. No big announcement that I am writing again. I’ll just write. Maybe I’ll write tomorrow. Maybe next week. Maybe later. Maybe just less original thoughts and pieces. But I’ll write. I just need to clear my head a bit and build up the insides a bit more again. Take some pressure off. Write when it’s there. And when it’s ready. And then we are going to party like it’s… hum… see? I can’t even tell you how awesome this party is gonna be! (Hehe!)
I hope you understand.
In the meantime, I am just taking the advice from my favorite cartoon…
September 25, 2008 at 9:44 pm
No worries; I will be here whether it is tomorrow or in a month. I feel you here; when I try to write when it really isn’t on mark, I feel like I am cheating myself, and not giving my best…… thanks for caring about yourself and us that much….. you are so awesome, truly. V.
September 25, 2008 at 9:59 pm
Yeah…sometimes life gets to be too much work.
But you gotta’ keep yourself healthy to help others.
Get some well deserved rest.
September 25, 2008 at 10:30 pm
Did someone say coffee? No argument from me there. Coffee makes the world spin better! And speaking of, I can oh so relate to your current blog, sometimes we write ourselves into a corner, mix our metaphors and worse, maybe bore ourselves. It happens. Perspective, not taking yourself seriously or just sitting back and smelling the coffee brewing to give yourself space to appreciate the good stuff, including the difference you make to other people’s lives. Because even when you don’t appreciate yourself, we do. Not everything you write is going to be a gem; hey the best writer’s have off days, Caribbean novelist Earl Lovelace said to me early in my career, “if you want to write, then write, every day, no matter what”. Take the space you need first though.
So friend, am joining you for that cup of joe, that’s what friends do. I really needed one too and you know, we’ll always have coffee to make it better.
September 25, 2008 at 10:31 pm
Enjoy!
September 26, 2008 at 2:29 am
When we first start blogging we never dream of writing a “be right back” post. I mean we are just doing it, no pressure, no nothing. Then as the days, months and for some years move pass we find a niche, we suddenly have regular readers and people that notice when we are gone, people who actually miss us. Isn’t it incredible how things change, how they evolve?
Enjoy the coffee, we love LOVE coffee – we always bounce back and become 3D once more, overloading can crash the system, sometimes all it takes is a breath.
Enjoy this mini sabbatical of words and see you soon!
September 26, 2008 at 5:42 am
Hi AA,
I know how you feel, we all need to take a break from time to time to keep ourselves fresh. I’ve just got back from three months of 13 hour days which kept me from my blog. I fighting fit and ready to go again now though.
Hope you are still around to read though. I have some stuff coming up on my blog that a mutual friend thinks you may be interested in.
Take care and recoup your strength.
V
September 26, 2008 at 6:07 am
Not to worry. Us newcomers have a lot of reading to do around here to catch up.
I’ve been struggling with this from the beginning. My family is in town, so no time to dawdle.
September 26, 2008 at 8:20 am
Such are the perils of being an excellent writer (or so I’m told
Sometimes you have this tornadic storm of thoughts within your mind … sometimes those ideas get easily tossed upon the page … but sometimes those ideas just keep whirling around, uncooperatively, and you have to wrestle them down onto paper.
The second scenerio, obviously, can become very tiresome and draining.
Enjoy your break – but just know this: even your so called “bad writing” is better than most.
September 26, 2008 at 1:07 pm
@vanessaleighsblog – Agree. We can’t cheat. Not ourselves or others. But I’ll be writing. Just not the way I used to write. Just step back for a bit. Look at old stuff. Other stuff. Maybe revisit. But I’ll update regularly. Hopefully daily.
@uglyblackjohn – Thanks mate. I’m not going anywhere. Just slowing down a bit.
@Coffeewallah – Nothinig a cood cuppa can’t fix hey? But I have to say that post of yours where you wrote about “nothing” was excellent!
@Jan – Will do! Thanks!
@SanityFound – Just hitting the restart button and going through some old files! The thing is I like the people I have met through my blog and their blogs. And I owe it to you and everyone to not waste your time.
@Visionary – Oh I am going to be around to read! I have been waiting for you to update us. Welcome back!
@scienkoptic – Enjoy the family! I know you don’t see them often enough so glad my downtime is in line with your family time!
@Fitch – Thank you. Those are very kind words. Like you say. The ideas are there. They are just not flowing the way I want them to flow.
September 26, 2008 at 6:25 pm
I always enjoy your writing AA. I started blogging in high school really ,though my current blog started in college. There was no pressure to be good at all, and I prefer ti that way.
I understand when one writes as well as you the pressure may be different, so enjoy the coffee, I’m rather fond of it myself, and bring it when you can.
September 26, 2008 at 6:34 pm
[...] thought it might be a good thing to look back at why I started blogging. You know, while I’m taking a coffee break. I first started writing as An Accidental Activist. Can’t get away from all the [...]
September 26, 2008 at 8:06 pm
I feel you on the flatness.
I’m having the same problem, but sense my income comes form writing…well…I don’t really have the luxury of being “flat.”
Sigh.
I’m trying to work through it though.
September 27, 2008 at 9:30 am
You know… sometimes we do need to step back. But I think you are so hard on yourself here. You expect that all of us want and demand perfection of you. We love who you are. We would love to have that coffee with you and just read a joke that you think is funny.
Some of us reach you on levels beyond your rants and see the soul of you who is human like the rest of us….
September 27, 2008 at 11:08 am
@cooper – Thank you for that compliment! I think you are an excellent writer. I go there often to see what you are up to and your thinking. I like the fact that you can tackle different things with perspective and insight that are rare.
@JJ – I go to your place often. You have an ability to write about everyday things and make it interesting. And you can tackle the big things. I can’t do both. That’s a gift. And I like going over to your place.
@Amber – Thanks Amber. Maybe I am a bit hard on myself. You know how our mood swings. And maybe it is the fact that I have a vision of what people expect to read and then they don’t get what I think they should get. Instead of remembering that people will read what they want and how they want. And that my friends over here will be okay with an off day or two. Yep, as always, you are right.
December 11, 2008 at 9:47 pm
[...] who visit often will know that I take coffee breaks every now and again. You remember Taking A Coffee Break? Just a little break to recharge the batteries. I don’t always know the reason why I need [...]