Writing.

     I've picked up writing as a hobby. Mostly fiction, and mostly short or flash fiction. I may try to write a novel someday, but there's something satisfying about writing a story and finishing it in the same day. Ever since I "snapped," dropped out of school, and abandoned my very well planned out future, having deadlines, or even things on a "back burner" to finish/edit later drive me absolutely bonkers. I now need things to be done and off my plate. Period. But the writing process... it's such a relief for me! It amazes me how much better I feel after allowing myself to enter the strange worlds in my head. As a reader, I crave fiction that takes me to a world outside of reality, yet filled with characters that could be my best friends. And I prefer that they have a quest; a great, epic adventure that takes them traveling. The stories I write don't really offer that, at least nothing that lasting, but in my head... those little snippets that I type out feel like I've just purged myself of creativity that's been hidden away and dying to get out. What's even better, is that while it gets purged, it leaves a seed behind allowing me to create again and again. 

     I make no claims that anything fictional I write is good. I will say it's better than the writing in this blog, but that's as far as I'll go. I don't really do it for praise or money, though. I do it for the way it makes me feel while writing, and how great I feel afterwards. This is especially the case on days I feel like a lazy, useless human being who can't even keep the dishes clean. Writing completes none of those chores, obviously, but for some unknown reason I feel like I've been just as productive as if I'd spent the day cleaning. This makes less sense when you consider the fact that most people never even read what I write, preventing me from using the "it's productive because I'm providing entertainment for others" rationale. This line of thinking works really well when I practice my bass... as people eventually do hear me. But writing? Most of it is just on my computer, that will disappear when the computer dies. But this doesn't sadden me. It's about the process. The journey my head takes while I write. The absolute best part though, is the moment when the story takes over my thoughts and I feel like I have lost all control. It's as if the story is writing itself. There are even times when it seems as if the story already exists, and I just happen to be able to hone in on the signal and put it into text. Silly, I know, but that's how it feels experientially. Is that a word? Spell-check is telling me that it isn't, but I don't care. I like it and so am leaving it. Take that spell-check. I am the master of my own vocabulary. 

     At any rate, I'm starting to send my stuff out to see if it'll get accepted. I could use the extra money on the off chance people like what I write. And really, the worst that can happen is that my work gets rejected. A small shot to the ego, sure, but that's really it. And the benefits are the exuberant feelings that come with an acceptance letter, and hopefully one day, money. In the meantime, though, I'm going to keep plugging away at it. Even if I suck now, it's bound to improve. One of the few consistent pieces of advice I've been given about writing is that you improve with frequency. Here's hopin'.