100 Words – What It’s About
December 7, 2010 
17 Comments
This is the Part Where I Annoyingly Feel Sorry for Myself
Haven’t mentioned this yet, but congratulations to all of you who made it through NaNoWriMo and have your nice shiny winner badges up. You’ll notice I don’t have one. That’s because NaNo didn’t offer up any GINORMOUS LOSER badges.
I’ve had fun inspiring others to write. More than fun. It makes me happy to know that I blundered into creating a little corner of the internets where Word-Nerds can come together. But I’ve really got to start being my own best cheerleader and coach and task-master because I let everything else get in the way of my writing. Work, kids, house, errands, other people…and I don’t have enough hours in the day for those things as it is.
Also, it should be said that I “write” all the time. It’s part of my job and my independent work. And sometimes I wonder if my personal writing voice is just getting buried under all the writing I do for work? Because I used to write all the time for me, even if it was just in my head. I often needed to write because otherwise the words would just clank around in my brain and keep me up all night. Now, at the end of the day, there’s barely a whisper up there, and I’m too exhausted to try to make anything of it. Writing suddenly feels like work.
Anyway, I don’t really have a point. I just wanted to say “YAY YOU”, and “BOO ME”. There, done.
I knew as soon as I read it that my pick this week would be Innocents and Accidents’ piece, and I suppose now that I think about it…does seem awfully similar to how I’m feeling about my writing.
It’s Not About the Anchovies
“Why are you getting so mad about anchovies?,” he asked. He was watching a basketball game, tall men in white trying to defend a metal rim against other tall men wearing green.
“It’s not about the anchovies, Steven,” she said. It was about being ignored. Being slighted. Having your needs come last, if at all. It was about having another baby because you needed a boy. It was about your career ruined so that his could soar, it was about your dreams allowed to die like worms on the sidewalk.
“It’s not about the anchovies,” she repeated softly.
Despite whatever unconscious associations drew me to this piece, I think we can all agree that Michael nailed the imbalanced relationship dynamic.
New word. Again from Hemingway’s The Garden of Eden, because yes I’m still reading it even though it’s a short book. I make it through 3, maybe 4 paragraphs a night before falling into a exhausted coma. Is that the second time I said “exhausted” in one post? I need a vacation, obviously.
WILD
Chapter 10, last paragraph:
In the night he woke and heard the wind high and wild and turned and pulled the sheet over his shoulder and shut his eyes again. He felt her breathing and shut his eyes again. He felt her breathing softly and regularly and then he went back to sleep.
An excellent piece selected today. I’m wild with envy.
sorry.
Wild, huh? Hmmm. Is this going to be “Steve Martin” wild? “Law of the Jungle” wild?” Cornell Wilde?
We’ll see.
lceel recently posted..Tues Day
I’m starting to think this prompt is too easy for some of you.
Velvet Verbosity recently posted..100 Words – What It’s About
Great choice. And you’re not a loser!!!! All of us, I am sure, appreciate all you do and how much time it takes. Not finishing is OK and I just don’t think you should feel sorry for yourself. So there. (my husband tells me I am such a Fokker for things like this)
Anyway, wild, huh? Hmmmm.
Wellllll, it WAS partly tongue-in-cheek. I DO feel some self-directed sorry-ness over not having time, but I’m exaggerating.
Velvet Verbosity recently posted..100 Words – What It’s About
As above – so below . . . what Ms. Marsha says. At least you thought to try – I did not. I went to the coffee shop with my girls (daughter and granddaughter) to cheer them on – give them snippets of ideas – tease and cajole them. But I didn’t tackle the project itself.
Thanks for the 100 words to keep me occupied.
I, too, write a lot in my work-life. Hang in there – we Werd Nerds are WILD about you!
Barbara recently posted..Thankful
What? You spent all that time teasing and cajoling and you didn’t think to enter yourself?
Ah well, nice of you to be such a support for the crazy-people in your life.
Velvet Verbosity recently posted..100 Words – What It’s About
Vel, I’m a loser too. wrote about 23K then my dog ate my homework, the alarm didn’t go off, it’s not you it’s me, blah blah blah.
I like Micheal’s It’s Not Anout The Anchovies. Bono once said, as soon as he hears a song and says to himself “damn I wish I’d written that, you know it’s good” that’s how I felt about his 100 words.
I’m wild about this week’s prompt. there are a lot of wild ways people could write about this one. I may watch the Minnesota Wild play hockey this week then go wild with my creativity.
I’ll stop now.
Lance recently posted..The Bobina
That does it, you’re all grounded.
Velvet Verbosity recently posted..100 Words – What It’s About
There’s a MINNESOTA Wild? We have the ALASKA Wild.
Great choice. I can feel the frustration and despair.
Tara R. recently posted..Wasted on the young
It seems I’m not alone in being insanely busy and getting word burn out from too much work writing. I’ve been absent, but I missed this, so now may the prodigal daughter return? I’m wild with longing for “real writing”.
Evenstarwen recently posted..Love on a street corner
The door is always open.
Velvet Verbosity recently posted..100 Words – What It’s About
I wasn’t completely wild about this one, but it certainly gave me something to think about. And I swear, not all of my efforts will be about cats!
Fran (aka FGHart) recently posted..For the Love of Strays
“And I swear, not all of my efforts will be about cats!”
Suuuuuuuuuuurrrreeee . . . that’s what ALL the cat people say.
barbara recently posted..Alaska Fun