Secondhand Inspiration

Secondhand Inspiration: Could You Be Running on Empty?

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“In fact, it feels strangely simple: I have used up my material, the stuff from which I craft stories. I don’t have anything now. Maybe I will have more soon. Or not soon. Or not.” - from Robin Black’s resonant essay “On Being Empty: When a Writer Isn’t Writing.”

Sometimes you run into an article that describes something you’ve been going through eloquently. See the link below.

Ms. Black’s essay loosely describes some of my writing-related struggles over the past two years. I believe all writers/artists/singers/etc. struggle with these feelings at some point. It is a good read for all you creative types out there. Her words give me some hope of getting over the hump with my writing.

http://beyondthemargins.com/2014/12/on-being-empty-when-a-writer-isnt-writing/

As for resolutions and such nonsense…

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…they feel redundant, superfluous, and somewhat synthetic. Pretty much the same rigamarole every year, and some years I’m a bit more successful with orchestrating the charade than others. Resolutions are for losers, work is for winners.

Nonetheless, I’d like to blog more, read more books, take more pictures, keep up with my ambitious workout plan. Drink more water (in excess). Drink more good wine and beer (in moderation, of course). Write more, as always. Go on more walks. Streamline and organize my life.

I say let’s clear out 2014, and may 2015 be more of the good stuff and far less of the bad. Do you agree?

That silence you hear…

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…is the sound of me working. Seriously. The lack of posts on this blog is not an indication of a lack of writing activity, for sure.

I will have upcoming work in publications that I failed to previously mention on here, in print in burntdistrict and online in the Bare Root Review.

In addition, I earned third place finishes in both the Art Affair Poetry Contest and the Burning the Midnight Oil Poetry Contest – no publication, but a little cash always soothes the soul.

I wrestled my inner procrastination demons in a cage match. I won and am now back on pace with a decent writing work rate in the past month. This has been partially sponsored by a new manuscript idea that I hope will lead to the promised land of publication and not another dead end.

I also have big plans to revamp this blog.

All I need to do is execute. Which means not more hiatuses, no more wandering focus.

That’s all for now. Be good.

Interview at the Spark Wheel Press Blog

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I recently had the wonderful opportunity to play question and answer via email…the results of which appear on today’s entry on Spark Wheel Press’ blog.

Spark Wheel Press publishes burntdistrict, a journal dedicated to elevating public awareness of contemporary poetry and to the promotion of writers. I had the honor of having my prose poem Epiphany appear in the inaugural issue of burntdistrict earlier this year.

In the interview I talked a little about epiphanies in writing, my writing process, labels in the literary world, influences and other subjects. Huge thanks to the folks at Spark Wheel Press for the chance to do this interview with them, and to Deanna McElhatten for asking some very thought provoking questions (and for being patient as I crafted my responses). You can check out the interview by clicking here.