It sits there - blinking at me - waiting - smirking. I swear I see it smirking. That cursed cursor. On an empty page. Daring me to move it along, trailing words like a slug its slime.
Sometimes I can rise to the occasion and words pour forth like salt, encouraging my little blinking slug cursor to hasten right along. Other times - not so much. The slug can dilly-dally, take its time, enjoy the scenary.
It's not that I don't have a lot of stuff on my mind these days. Rather, I think I have way too much stuff on my mind these days. The world has expanded. I see, know, read, experience more now than I ever did in the first 30 years of my life. The internet has brought the world to my fingertips. I can even go online and view web-cams of foreign places. (I sometimes go out and look at places like Hawaii while it's winter here.) But is this ability a good thing? Or is it just information overload? Too much of a good thing?
Imagination used to create these places for me, places that I can now just look at, read about. In some ways, the knowledge has actually stifled my creativity. In other ways, it has given me more fodder for creating. New images, new words, new ideas. Maybe too many 'news' in there. And my slug cursor once again slows and occasionally even stops. Which 'new' should I reach for?
Then again, maybe my little slug has simply reached the edge of the grass and is contemplating crossing that big expanse of concrete, known as the driveway. What is on the other side? Will he make it? Is it any different, better, nicer than where he is at the moment? Should he retreat? Retire at the very spot he is now at? Push on? Explore this dangerous, new world, see what is over there?
New worlds, new horizons, new ideas, new stories. Moving forward, slowly sometimes, in a bit of a rush other times. Somehow the blank page gets filled. Somehow, the little slug bravely pushes forward.
Now your first paragraph is the way to hook a reader. I can see that smirking cursor. The slime leaves a vivid imagine. Yup. I had to read on. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Always pushing forward.
That's been me this past couple week with my sequel. I feel like a massive slug, just barely moving along.
ReplyDeleteI think it's because Ms. Internal Voice diva has shown up again. I need to tell her to go! Also not to listen to those naysayers who find little nick picky things to complain about. Nope. Will push forward!
Great post!
@Beverly - Thanks. It must be fall here, as slugs are on my mind. LOL
ReplyDelete@Kim - I feel the same way. I don't write well in the summertime. Too much energy being spent on other things, I guess. I like the fall and winter for writing, when I hibernate and let my imagination take over once again.