A Blog About Nothing
Some people have noticed that the LykeMinded blog has been pretty quiet lately.
I could blame a variety of distractions for that absence – everything from moving my daughter to college, to working on a script for a radio drama, to doing a fill-in stint hosting WCLO's talk show. However, applying the principle of Occam's Razor (to wit: the simplest solution is usually the correct one), I would say it's because my muse has been asleep. Or in other words...I had nothin'.
It hasn't been for lack of trying. I tried to force out a blog last week, but it ended up with the rest of the aborted blogs that litter my hard drive; abandoned texts ultimately deemed unworthy of pasting into the web form and clicking the “post” button.
I'm my own worst critic when it comes to writing, rarely satisfied with the finished product. About a decade ago, I actually managed to complete and publish a book of short stories, some of which had been in the works for most of the 1990's. Today, my take on the collection is that two of the five stories have serious quality issues. One in particular is so dark that I am now completely uncomfortable with its presence, so much so that I pulled the book from retail stores and stopped promoting it. My intention was to rewrite the offending passages but the ambition to do so never arrived.
Participating in the 48 Hour Film Festival is probably the best thing for a hypercritical writer like me to do, because there is no time to pick apart or tinker with the script. It needs to be done and shot quickly. It also helps that those films are co-written with someone whose ideas mesh with mine, a partnership that seems to bring out the best of both of us.
Writing is a funny thing. Sometimes the ideas jell easily. A couple of the best blogs posted on LykeMinded are ones that came quickly, written in less than a half-hour in a zone where it felt like I was taking dictation. Others were tough, painstakingly composed on and off over a couple of days, with the final result still less than satisfying to the author. I count this one among the latter.
So when LykeMinded isn't updated for a while, it doesn't mean I'm shirking my responsibilities to GazetteXtra. It simply means...I got nothin'.
Sep 16, 2010 at 7:12 a.m.
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Way to go Mouse, what's next on your negative agenda, getting Knox a job so he stops blogging? Oh, wait, you already accomplished that.
Sep 14, 2010 at 8:32 a.m.
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Sounds like other things are getting to you Jim. Maybe you need to concentrate on just one or two things and give them full time and attention.
Sep 13, 2010 at 12:07 p.m.
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It's OK Jim. NBC made a whole TV series about 'nothing'. Something called, Seinfield.
Sep 13, 2010 at 10:17 a.m.
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"A Blog About Nothing"
They can't say that you didn't warn them, Jim.
Sep 12, 2010 at 10:35 p.m.
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Don't shoot me, I'm just the piano player! ;-)
Sep 12, 2010 at 8:55 p.m.
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Actually, Mousey Poo, I find your obsession with me kind of flattering.
Sep 12, 2010 at 7:32 p.m.
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When a nerve is touched in this bloggers domain, its off too the keyboard in search of a riddle. Theatrics and lyrics abound with a passion and you manage to avoid the subject at hand.
You portray a story of a person so dashing whilst Milton takes back seat during your me, my, I cash in.
Jim Lyke on Milton?
Sep 12, 2010 at 3:56 p.m.
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garyprimer - empathy: the projection of one's own personality into the personality of another in order to understand him better: ability to share in another's emotions or feelings.
Guess it depends on the glasses you're wearing when you read another person's post.
Sep 12, 2010 at 1:26 p.m.
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I am sorry that I missed my mark. I was referring to the first commenter, not Jim. His praise of Jim was always clearly a setup for "just like me". Go to a real dictionary and look up self-absorbed. I am not quite there yet. Yes, I have a lot of posts, but my name is real. My mood swings from serious to absurd. Today my mood is "Morning Mist".
Sep 12, 2010 at 10:31 a.m.
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leaf my xwife out of tis
Sep 12, 2010 at 10:19 a.m.
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Maybe not full-fledged reporter, but you've always been a writer, Jim. As for the 'nothin', this, too, shall pass, and the fingers will be flying trying to catch up with the nuerons firing in that wonderful brain of yours.
Sep 12, 2010 at 9:25 a.m.
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TJ - You (and garyprimer) admittedly have a point. One has to be at least a little self-absorbed to voluntarily do a blog like this and open one's self up for criticism. And thank you for pointing out that these blogs are meant for personal opinions and anecdotes. None of us who do these are reporters.
Sep 12, 2010 at 9:01 a.m.
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These blogs are for the purpose of writers sharing THEIR minds. If we get the impression that some are self-absorbed, so be it. I don't know about anyone else but my responses are very self-absorbed. The only difference is I'm a coward and my real name isn't given. I kinda like having that luxury!
Sep 12, 2010 at 8:43 a.m.
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Urban Dictionary definition of self-absorbed: Simply stated, it is an individual that is so consumed with their own selves that they become oblivious to, nor do they care how their actions or words impact others.Wow - sounds like garyprimer with 3,412 anonymous comments on GazetteXtra! Or is 3,500 the threshold for being self-absorbed?
Sep 12, 2010 at 7:52 a.m.
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A LykeMinded blog
Is never complete
Without Anony-Mouse
Posting her comment so sweet
With intelligence and wit
Channeled straight from Above
Her every word
Is an expression of love
Be still, my heart!
When her name's on the screen
Anony-Mouse
My Internet queen...
Sep 11, 2010 at 8:16 p.m.
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Think you hit the nail on the head Gary.
It's do or die, when you run out of "me and my".
Plus to many self-righteous articles are obviously lacking reader interest and responses.
Sep 11, 2010 at 3:02 p.m.
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By the way, you can do nine seasons and go into endless syndication with nothing.
Sep 11, 2010 at 2:59 p.m.
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Wow! Self-absorbed anyone?
Sep 11, 2010 at 2:24 p.m.
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Jim,
Part of being a good writer is knowing "when you got nothing." That shows a lot of intelligence.
As for your self-critical nature - I live there too - so I know EXACTLY what you mean. It's hard enough writing anything - but when you know that everything is open to the Wide World of Comments from anybody who feels like being nice or otherwise -- that can mess with creativity! I have plenty of blogs in my Written But Not Posted File, too! Maybe it's the nature of the blog??
The other hard part of blogging? Self-editing -- I don't care how great an editor you are -- it can be very difficult to edit your own work ... too easy for the brain to "self-correct" as you read ... but it's easy for almost any reader to find an error and point it out. Ouch!
I don't know how I'm going to feel when my book comes out, but most of the published writers I know feel the same way you do about your work -- if only they could revise One More Time ... again - mark of a true writer -- REVISION!!
Nice post, Jim ... thank you!
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