"So you're a writer," they say, time and time again. "That must be very interesting."

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Must it? My work, such as it is, consists of sitting alone at a typewriter and tapping fitfully at its keys. It has occurred to me that the only distinction between what I do and what a stenographer does lies in my having to invent what I type.

- Laurence Block, Telling Lies for Fun and Profit

Comments

Anonymous said…
maybe he has a creative mind,thats why :)

why one of your recent posts is blank?did you delete it?
March 31, 2007 10:43 AM
Richard said…
ghee: my post was empty because I was being artistic (in an Andy Warhol sort of way).
March 31, 2007 10:54 AM
Anonymous said…
hehe... sounds like what I am doing now :P

(it's really hard trying to comment here)
April 02, 2007 3:21 AM
Richard said…
Sorry about the secret verification word. I hate it too. Too often it takes two or three tries at it before it goes in correctly.
April 02, 2007 3:09 PM
Mother of Invention said…
I hate the word verif. ...it hardly ever works the 1st time when you KNOW you've done it correctly. What exactly is the purpose? Oh yeah..spam...I never really got much.

I don't think a writer's life is that appealing unless they really make an effort to balance the aloneness with connecting with people. I can see that once they get into it, they don't even notice the time pass.
April 02, 2007 6:15 PM
Richard said…
MOI: I have no idea what a writer's life is like, but I liked the sound of the quote.
April 02, 2007 6:50 PM
Mother of Invention said…
I know a writer and he's a real oddball...he only crawls up to join the rest of the world for short periods, He's never been able to make a long term relationship work it's just sad to me. He has pain deep down.

The quote is true really. I have had it happen to me a few times now, that I felt like someone was dictating to me the words from somewhere else. It was eerie..I couldn't keep up with how fast they came to me and when I looked at the whole thging at the end, I was really moved. Words from another spirit world? Or from some excavation of my soul..brain? Whatever..it was a neat experience.
April 03, 2007 1:02 PM
Barbara said…
I often wondered how a syndicated writer like Art Buchwald could turn out something every day. I marveled that he didn't get up on certain days and have a blank slate for a mind. But then I started writing a Blog and realized that most writing is about observing and reacting to what you observe. Most every day something noteworthy passes before us in person or on print.
April 03, 2007 1:29 PM
Anonymous said…
ahh okay..similar to CSS naked day event,i guess :)
April 04, 2007 11:26 AM
Richard said…
MOI: I don't know any writers and I can't imagine why they would choose to hole themselves up away from people.

I love people, but definitely need time alone to recharge (significantly more time then others).

The problem with the way we approach life is that we are taught (or encouraged) to sacrifice everything for the sake of working, of being a drone.

barbara: I think it depends what you write about. In truth, most of it is pretty easy, it is just a qustion of being oneself and having time to compose ones thoughts (though, not so much time that we keep trying to make it better and, in the end, do nothing).

Blog writing is definitely a good way to get a habit.

ghee: hmmm, I don't want to ask :P
April 04, 2007 7:07 PM
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