This morning, I rolled out of bed and fell into a blog post.
It happens that way sometimes. As I’ll go on to explain – I like to check my e-mail and the first e-mail I opened lead to me to a blog posting over at THE WRITER’S GUIDE TO E-PUBLISHING.
This particular post dealt with a writer’s schedule.
While I was crafting a reply-comment to that blog post it got to me thinking that I ought to use this reply-comment as the basis for my next blog entry.
That’s right. Writing that innocent little reply-comment awoke my innate writerly thieving instincts and I decided that I was going to steal that reply-comment that I was writing – which is a little like stealing from yourself, I suppose – and use it as a blog post on my own blog.
Or, to put it another way –
“Immature artists imitate. Mature artists steal.” – Lionel Trilling.
To which I might add:
“Long-past-their-stale-date artists steal from themselves.” – Steve Vernon
*******
MY STOLEN REPLY-COMMENT, REPHRASED AND REWRITTEN INTO A WONDERFULLY ENTERTAINING BLOG POST – COMPLETE WITH ILLUSTRATIONS!”
Because I am one of those poor goomers who must still put up with a day job – and because my day job hours are rarely predictable – (I really think they use a dart board to write up our monthly work schedules) – I find it hard to set anything that even resembles a work schedule.
In fact, when I Google “work schedule”, Wikipedia says “That ain’t you.”
However, I’m fortunate enough to be an early riser. I had three paper routes when I was a kid and I had to be up at about five am to get breakfast into me – (I’m big on eating) – and get those papers sorted and delivered before going to school. As a result I am programmed to wake up before the crows have even started scratching themselves.
First off, I’ve got to make my way to the bathroom, where I sit for a while – (it’s safer than trying to aim in the dark) – and pet our black cat Kismet, who usually wants to know why the hell I haven’t fed her yet. I don’t know what her problem is – I fed her all yesterday – but she’s just funny that way.
I just looked up “patient and reasonable” on the Google and it told me “That ain’t cats”.
And here’s a picture of Kismet, sniffing the hell out of the inside spine of one of my books.
Then I sit down at the computer. I like to futz around on the internet for an hour or so before I begin dawdling which sometimes leads to a bout of full-out procrastination. I mean, why wait to put off what needs putting off to? I’m ambitious and I like to plunge boldly into my pre-writing procrastination.
I was going to look up “organized” on Google but I couldn’t find the to-do list that I’d wrote that down on to remind myself with.
You see, I like to start with checking my e-mail – which is what lead me to this blog entry here on THE WRITER’S TO E-PUBLISHING – before I begin. I’m pretty certain that one of these mornings I’m going to find myself something important in all that spam.
If possible, I like to warm up with something that requires some fast and creative free-range writing – such as this comment – (which I have already decided that I am going to steal on myself after I get commenting and use it in my own blog) – and to rattle some sort of a blog reply or a blog entry or to answer somebody’s question on the two or three message board forums I like to poke it.
(and I know that last sentence has most likely peeved the heck out of my Strunk and White’s Elements of Style – but me and Strunk/White haven’t been talking in years)
You see – I find that writing a blog entry or a thread reply like this – before I begin my actual work on whatever manuscript I am working on – is a really great warm-up. It’s a little like stretching yourself before a session at the gym – or shadow-boxing in the locker room before you walk into the arena and step into a boxing ring.
It isn’t anything like prancing around ten feet away from the fellow you’re supposed to be fighting – striking imaginary Bruce Lee poses and making kee-yii sounds like that blue jay outside my window is making. Striking poses like that in a fight doesn’t impress anybody – not even your Mom – and you’re most likely going to give yourself a charley-horse while trying to snap-kick a fist full of mid-air nothing.
Usually sometime around a half an hour into that hour long warm-up I’ll make my way downstairs and butter up a couple of slices of toast. I used to peanut butter and honey them but my wife says that has something to do with my belt shrinking on me so I just smear a little butter and then scoop out a bowl of cottage cheese. I pepper the cottage cheese – even though I’d much rather dump a couple of dollops of maple syrup onto the cottage cheese – but again, apparently that has something to do with my belt shrinking.
I’ll Twitter a bit and run through my e-mail and get all of my ducks lined up.
Then, I sip my coffee and get to work.
So, I guess that I have established three undeniable facts with this comment.
Number one – I like to take a poke at the social media side of things before I get to work on what really needs doing.
Number two – I really need an internal editor when commenting on other people’s blog entries.
Number three – If I worked for myself all day I’d most likely fire myself, sooner or later.
Yours in storytelling,
Steve Vernon
PS: Here’s a link to that blog where this whole thing started. Folks who are interested in learning more about the craft from successful e-book writers really ought to be following this blog – THE WRITER’S GUIDE TO E-PUBLISHING.
I know exactly what you mean. Same for me. Social media and coffee always takes precedence.
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I’m still not convinced it is the best plan of action, but it seems to work for me.
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For a minute or two I not only thought it was myself reading but writing as well. I only realised it wasn’t me when you mentioned a Charley Horse?????? and having peanut butter and honey on toast in the morning. I’m prepared to butter mine and add a bit more butter but that’s it.
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I always knew you and I were dopplegangers. Only thing I can’t decide if is I am the dopple or the ganger. I think maybe the dopple. I don’t know any ganger signs…
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