Thursday, January 13, 2011

Freedom...

A recent career change has left me with vast amounts of "free time", and for some reason I am still having a hard time adapting. Granted, I have been working towards this life style for years, but I guess I wasn't fully prepared to have some dreams become a reality.

Be careful what you wish for?

Perhaps...

With this change, I now have the luxury to read, to write, to think; almost exclusively on my schedule. I have the time to develop skills that are of a intellectual interest; fodder for the mind and soul. First and foremost is the time to write and revise works I simply haven't been able to develop. Getting my ideas out and on paper (or computer) has been the goal for a couple of years with the idea I would clean them up and polish them accordingly - when I had the time, of course.

And now... I do.

A very strange reality, indeed. Yet, how much time have I put into the revisions?

Zero.

Very odd...

What exactly is the hold up?

Nothing, really. I just need to be easier on myself, to be patient with my mind to make the necessary changes required to permit me to "work" on my projects. I also need to remind myself that by "messing" around with computers in the same manner has put me in this new life style!

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Thoughts...

I have been reading more and more fiction lately in hopes to better develop my prose as suggested by a recent professor. I have been trying to stick purely to fiction; however, I seem to find myself falling back into non-fiction.

While I understand that reading fiction will only help my writing, I cannot break the habit of learning about the vast amount of subjects that stimulate my mind. I read some great piece of fiction that gets my mind going and then I switch to research mode and get swept up in the learning.

It is an addiction of sorts; that I will not deny. I get an incredible rush when I make new connections, develop new understanding or just learn something entirely new. Perhaps it was that for so many of my early years learning was a challenge; but also, I just never quite thought like the other kids.

And I still don't.

When I first began to get sober I realized for years I let myself believe that I was always wrong; that I just didn't "get it". I spent a lot of time and effort trying to "understand" and "fit in". What a mistake. Now I accept that I don't get it, and I no longer feel that my lack of "understanding" is a bad thing mostly because "it" doesn't make sense!

The world is a crazy and fucked up place. I often think that if I ever understood "it", then either I had caved and comforted, or I had become completely insane. However, I am not so sure these are mutually exclusive...

At any rate, I am wondering if I shouldn't fight the non-fiction urge, to appease the beast to aid in allowing for my fiction to come more easily.

There are so many thoughts, often mixed up between fiction and non-fiction; sometimes they are so actively bouncing off each other my heads spins, quite frankly I feel a bit out of control. I am still working towards that balance of writing, reading and thinking.

Doesn't seem like it should be at difficult, right?