Many people have asked me how I manage to write so much in one day. I have several blogs and I write for the print media too. You know, most times, the words just flow and my fingers just have to keep up with the pace at which my mind races. It might sound weird but when I write my op-ed column, I just follow what seems to be an ongoing debate inside my head. Pros and cons. Arguments and counter-arguments. After an hour or so, I have a column.
But it’s not always that easy. There are times when the words just wouldn’t come. For someone who writes for a living, mood and inspiration are not whimsical words. They — or, rather, the lack of either or both — can be a serious issue. Of course, you can plod through the entire process. Force the words out. But, somehow, the finished article seems so pilit when I do that. When those bad times hit me, I try to do something else — read for a while, watch TV, take photos… whatever. More often than not, after a brief respite, the mind relaxes and the writing comes easily once more.
Earlier, I was sitting in front of my computer getting ready to write an article and it happened. THE NOTHING happened. And it was a recurring nothingness. After thirty minutes, I got my camera and went out of the room. Something on Sam’s bed caught my eye.
Did you know that Bart Simpson suffers from insomnia?
I took the photos, I viewed them and I felt so relaxed and happy and I thought that I would finally be able to write the article.
The words started to come without my bidding.
Strangely enough, the only words that came were: “Bart Simpson has insomnia. Bart Simpson has insomnia. Bart Simpson has insomnia. Bart Simpson has insomnia. Bart Simpson has insomnia. Bart Simpson has insomnia. Bart Simpson has insomnia…”
So, I thought I’d post an entry about Bart Simpson’s insomnia. Perhaps, after I hit the PUBLISH button, I’ll be able to write an article that is NOT about Bart Simpson’s insomnia.
looks more like bart simpson is bangag, haha!
LOL. The “Bart Simpson has insomnia” mantra sounds just like it’s something Bart would be writing at the blackboard every start of the show.
Hahaha and I fell asleep for two hours after posting the entry.
ruth is right, I think Bart’s not insomniac. Nagti-tripping lang.
Don’t you wish you have a dictation apparatus that captures your thoughts? Nakakapagod kasing mag-type & error prone pa.
Still it’s a pretty enviable life to write the whole day and earn a living
It’s awful when as a mom and a writer you don’t feel inspired when you actually have a few minutes of peace and quiet.
Bart looks a bit like I do by the end of the day.
auee, not only a dictation apparatus but a kind of built-in cam so that what i see becomes a photo. hehehe buhay tamad, ano?
geri, i can’t complain, really. but it’s not as easy as it seems. writing requires a lot of focus and when you’re physically exhausted (laundry, dishwashing, cooking, etc etc), the mind just shuts down.
LOL RAchel, if I had big round eyes, so would I. Parang in shock from the events of the day.
writer’s block, in a sense. there are days that are so great that you can write so many just in one sitting, but there are days too that seemed empty, you just can’t write something relevant. and there are times too when what you thought the one you drafted the night before was alright and ready for publishing, then the next morning you wake up, you see the need to still do some polishing. weird no? but that’s just how writers are.
take time to relax Con, I’m sure the inspiration is just around the corner.
LOL on the Bart Simpson photos. my son, who was cuddling an Elmo, just saw them and he said: Mommy, kamukha ni Bart si Elmo, big eyes, big eyes!
Feng, and there are days when you just feel like ranting hehehe Kawawa naman yung cookbook project ko, backseat na naman.
LOL, magkamukha pala kami ni Bart… sa mata. hehe
Ah, it’s been like that with me for weeks. Couldn’t write a single blog post, though I have lots going on in my mind. So medyo different pala yung akin. Tamad siguro ang term haha.
So what did i do? Played online scrab til my ratings got a bit more respectable. Took 2 weeks lol.
Nakuuu… nahawa ka na kay Annamanila hahahahaha
salutes* you write superbly well!
As I had mentioned before…you are so Erma Bombeck!!!
Thank you.