Copyblogger recently posted a list of 73 ways to become a better writer. It’s a great list, one that I should take to heart—a list that should inspire me to get off of my ass and, you know, write. 

Unfortunately, these days I could probably come up with my own list: 73 ways to suck as a writer. #1 would be: Don’t write. #2: Watch Netflix DVDs of The West Wing instead of writing. #3: Sit down to write then check Facebook instead. #4: Turn the TV back on. You get the picture.

I’m in a slump. It’s not a block. A block would imply that there’s something I want to write, something percolating in my brain that I simply can’t get out. The truth is much more pathetic. There ain’t nothing in there. Zip. Zilch. Nada. The truth is, I’m bored.

At the moment, my life is boring. My friends will protest, but I will insist upon this fact. Everything is good, calm. No almost relationships (February). No self-inflicted angst (March). No break-ups/anniversaries of ex-boyfriends’ deaths (April). No debilitating, self-destructive depressions (May). No weddings or weekend trips (June).

For most people, boring is a good thing. No more drama, baby. In our lives. (A good song, by the way.) But for a person who writes about her life, it’s a major buzz-kill/mood-breaker/cock-blocker. I sit down to write, and all I feel is malaise. I could write, eh, or I could go to bed early. What does it matter?

The obvious solution is to make something exciting happen in my life, right? I could meet someone! And fall in love! And write about it! If only life worked that way. As I’m still learning, there’s not a whole lot about my situation that’s in my control. Except for my writing. I do control that, and I can make that piece more interesting, more prominent.

Except that right now, I can’t. You see my dilemma.

But like an impotent man gunning for that erection, I will keep trying. I’ve even pulled The Book out of hiding. It’s on my coffee table. I’ve re-read the prologue. I’ve even re-written the beginning in an effort to start over, though it lacks a certain something.

I think they call it inspiration.

Tags: Self-Reflection, Writing

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 28th, 2009 at 9:30 am and is filed under Self-Reflection, Writing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.