Epiphany? (attempt number two)
I say attempt number two because I got halfway through this post last night when the power went out for two hours. We were getting the remains of Tropical Storm Cindy (I think). It was about 11pm when the power went out. We gave up around midnight and just went to bed. It was annoying to say the least.
So, there I was Tuesday night, on OK Cupid taking the Death Test. This isn't unusual, as I'm usually somewhere wasting my time or doing something stupid. According to their Death test, which uses 'real' statistics, I should die sometime around the age of 61 of heart issues. So far I'm not worried about this because even though I am overweight, I don't have high blood pressure or bad cholesterol, or any other indicators for a heart condition. If anything, I have LOW blood pressure. It's one of the few areas in my life that I can say that I am healthy in, with conviction even. (Of course, now that I say that, I'll end up hospitalized for a stroke or a heart attack.. )
Anyway, this test kept asking questions about your 'dream job'. It got me to start thinking. I've never had a dream job. Most kids when growing up aspire to be something. Even if that aspiration changes daily or weekly, kids want to be something when they grow up. I never had that. I never could say 'I want to be a _______ when I grow up.' I had had a few ideas now and then, but the logic of them cancelled them out before they ever became something to aspire to. I thought about becoming a vet, since I really like animals and seem to have a way with them. Then I remembered that I'd have to deal with stupid owners, abusive owners, and neglectful owners, and well, I just don't have the patience or the people skills to deal with them and not end up in jail. Since the family is sickly (some people just shouldn't breed) I thought about becoming a doctor, but then I thought about the long years as an intern, and knew that I couldn't do it in my current (non)healthy state. I thought for a time that I wanted to be an accountant because I was fast on the ten-key. Then my job as an accountant nearly killed me from stress, so I gave that idea up pretty quick, not to mention having been burnt out on it from only six or so years. But as to a dream job, I've never really had one. Passing fascinations maybe, but never more than a thought for a day. Well, now I'm all grown up and I still don't know what I want to be, and the test got me to thinking that maybe it's about time I thought about it some more.
A few of my friends are writers. Either real, genuine, paid writers, or just creative people that write as a hobby but would like to become genuine authors. I've decided that I think I'd like to try writing. I've always written, and I've saved everything I've ever written since grade school. I've always been creative, you can tell that I have an overactive imagination from my nightmares and other dreams. Hell, in grade school I was working on writing a series of children's books. Everytime the teacher would have us do our creative writing in our journals, I'd write another episode of the story. With my health the way it is now, writing is something that I can do on my own schedule - an hour here, twenty minutes there, on a good day maybe longer. I know most writers write in large blocks of time, but I'm not expecting to get rich, I'm just hoping to maybe get published every now and again. I had an article submitted to be published when I was in grade school in a kids magazine - but I don't remember which one or anything, at the time I didn't care. I don't think it did get published, because I think I'd have known, but I know my teacher was urging me to get it sent in.
The biggest problem I foresee with writing in bursts is what happens to me on here. I get so far in one train of thought, have to lay down, come back and that train of thought is gone. I do have ways around that. It's what I do with my dreams that I want to remember, but don't have the energy yet to write them down fully. I take notes, the important ones with just enough description to remind me what I was thinking. For me, the hardest part is getting that first sentence. After that it's all gravy, usually.
I want to write a variety of styles of novels and stories. I don't want to be a one kind of thing author. I think they dig themselves in to ruts and that's where writer's block comes from. That's my own theory though, and well, most people would tell me to shut up about things I don't know. And if I run out of inspiration, there's always my dreams...
Hrm.. What a lovely example of writing (non)ability. Flit, flit, flit, off to another thought. Ah well, I can babble and ramble. This we're sure of. *grin* It's the clear writing that's up for debate. I'll probably post samples here from time to time.
So, there I was Tuesday night, on OK Cupid taking the Death Test. This isn't unusual, as I'm usually somewhere wasting my time or doing something stupid. According to their Death test, which uses 'real' statistics, I should die sometime around the age of 61 of heart issues. So far I'm not worried about this because even though I am overweight, I don't have high blood pressure or bad cholesterol, or any other indicators for a heart condition. If anything, I have LOW blood pressure. It's one of the few areas in my life that I can say that I am healthy in, with conviction even. (Of course, now that I say that, I'll end up hospitalized for a stroke or a heart attack.. )
Anyway, this test kept asking questions about your 'dream job'. It got me to start thinking. I've never had a dream job. Most kids when growing up aspire to be something. Even if that aspiration changes daily or weekly, kids want to be something when they grow up. I never had that. I never could say 'I want to be a _______ when I grow up.' I had had a few ideas now and then, but the logic of them cancelled them out before they ever became something to aspire to. I thought about becoming a vet, since I really like animals and seem to have a way with them. Then I remembered that I'd have to deal with stupid owners, abusive owners, and neglectful owners, and well, I just don't have the patience or the people skills to deal with them and not end up in jail. Since the family is sickly (some people just shouldn't breed) I thought about becoming a doctor, but then I thought about the long years as an intern, and knew that I couldn't do it in my current (non)healthy state. I thought for a time that I wanted to be an accountant because I was fast on the ten-key. Then my job as an accountant nearly killed me from stress, so I gave that idea up pretty quick, not to mention having been burnt out on it from only six or so years. But as to a dream job, I've never really had one. Passing fascinations maybe, but never more than a thought for a day. Well, now I'm all grown up and I still don't know what I want to be, and the test got me to thinking that maybe it's about time I thought about it some more.
A few of my friends are writers. Either real, genuine, paid writers, or just creative people that write as a hobby but would like to become genuine authors. I've decided that I think I'd like to try writing. I've always written, and I've saved everything I've ever written since grade school. I've always been creative, you can tell that I have an overactive imagination from my nightmares and other dreams. Hell, in grade school I was working on writing a series of children's books. Everytime the teacher would have us do our creative writing in our journals, I'd write another episode of the story. With my health the way it is now, writing is something that I can do on my own schedule - an hour here, twenty minutes there, on a good day maybe longer. I know most writers write in large blocks of time, but I'm not expecting to get rich, I'm just hoping to maybe get published every now and again. I had an article submitted to be published when I was in grade school in a kids magazine - but I don't remember which one or anything, at the time I didn't care. I don't think it did get published, because I think I'd have known, but I know my teacher was urging me to get it sent in.
The biggest problem I foresee with writing in bursts is what happens to me on here. I get so far in one train of thought, have to lay down, come back and that train of thought is gone. I do have ways around that. It's what I do with my dreams that I want to remember, but don't have the energy yet to write them down fully. I take notes, the important ones with just enough description to remind me what I was thinking. For me, the hardest part is getting that first sentence. After that it's all gravy, usually.
I want to write a variety of styles of novels and stories. I don't want to be a one kind of thing author. I think they dig themselves in to ruts and that's where writer's block comes from. That's my own theory though, and well, most people would tell me to shut up about things I don't know. And if I run out of inspiration, there's always my dreams...
Hrm.. What a lovely example of writing (non)ability. Flit, flit, flit, off to another thought. Ah well, I can babble and ramble. This we're sure of. *grin* It's the clear writing that's up for debate. I'll probably post samples here from time to time.