At the Bottom of the Writing Bottle

“You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.” –Ray Bradbury

And destroy me it will.

I started this blog with the hopes of posting once a week at the very least.  Obviously I have failed, and to my friends who have been reading me faithfully and have wanted more from me, I am extremely sorry.  I’ve known all along that I haven’t been writing nearly as much or as often as I had planned and hoped, but it wasn’t until I read the above quote that I really thought about why.

My reality has been getting more irritating with each passing month.  Various things and people have been irking me to no end.  I spent a good portion of the last few months as nothing more than an apathetic, comatose statue, coasting through reality like Adam Sandler’s character on auto-pilot in Click.  In the process my creativity has been sedated. Lately, however, it is coming back with a vengeance and bringing with it an elevated sense of motivation.  I recognize now that, while one can never fully escape reality—and who would want to, reality is often rather desirable—everyone needs an outlet.  Everyone needs something that will help to preserve their sanity.  My outlet, which I plan to take advantage of a lot more often, is writing.

While I plan to post more often, the bulk of my creative writing efforts will be going into the book I am writing.  It began as a series of short story ideas, but I realized that they all contained common elements and could provide enough material to write a full book.  I am finding new ways every day to tie many of my ideas together.  I can already tell that it is going to be an amazing writing experience, and I hope a very satisfying reading experience.  I am still in the planning stages, but my goal is to have a portfolio of fully-developed character profiles and a full outline of the major plot points and themes that will be included in the book by September.  I will be going to Italy for almost two weeks and I think it will be a perfect time for me to really write a bulk of the story and focus solely on details. 

Ray Bradbury felt that a writer should never stop writing, or risk losing their creative flow.  I fully agree and from this point onward, while doing my utmost to make the best of my reality, I plan to get drunk multiple times a week.  Drunk on writing, that is.  It will take a lot of determination, but the hangover will ultimately be worth it.

(Come on, you didn’t really expect me to write an entire piece without some cheesy metaphor, did you?)