garden of perverts
It's a dangerous moment. That moment when you go from doing things the way you have always done them to a new and more exhilarating way. It's that moment when you realize that you discovered something on your own and you have no one to share it with. It's that moment when you feel you like reinvented yourself and you have a full tank of self-esteem to get through the rest of your life with. It's that moment when something that seemed dull and grey turns into the most exciting and colorful reason to be alive. These are great moments to be sure, but they are rarely the "Eureka" in the bathtub that you think they are. Most of them are just overdue kicks in the groin or pee in the punch. The world you knew is gone and you are now on a whole new level of living.
As a child, I used to think that riding a bike was the most difficult task that anyone could accomplish. There was nothing that amazed me more than to see my older brother riding his bicycle down the street and not fall off and die in a bloody heap. I could not comprehend his magical abilities on two wheels. It wasn't until I learned to ride a bicycle, months later, that I came to see that it wasn't the tremendous feat that I thought it was. My brother wasn't magic after all. I was so proud of myself for figuring out the trick and I felt like I was a part of a speical group of people in the world that knew something that others, less fortunate, did not. I felt so priviledged to know the secret and I swore to myself that I would ride that bicycle everywhere and everyday, for the rest of my life. I would ride that bicycle every moment that I could, just so I could show everyone what I could do. Twenty minutes later, the bicycle was laying in the front yard and I was inside playing with other toys. My skills were well established in my mind and I didn't feel the need to brag or to burn out my new "gift" too quickly. I decided that I could just recall the talent whenever I needed it in the future and impress people when the timing was right and called for.
With that said, I want to say that I am not the epicenter for creative writing. I would like to thank everyone for their kind words and their continued support, and I would like to say that I appreciate everyone that spends five minutes a day reading my words and another ten writing to tell me what they think of it. It moves me and makes this all worthwhile. BUT...
As much as I enjoy writing this blog, I am not an authority on writing. For all of you that keep asking me to help you write your blogs, I must admit that as much as I want to think that I know the secret, I don't. There was a time when I first found this place that I thought I had it licked and that I was the keeper of some great secret, but again, I don't. Most of the Technical skill comes from friends with a deeper knowledge of computers and the writing part is just my mind releasing backed up gas.
As much as I thought I could ride a bicycle better than anyone in the world, I was never able to ride a wheelie or to make a successful jump off of anything without crushing my tiny testicles in the process. My ego was quickly toned down with the discovery that everyone could do it and that there were others that did it better. The same is true in writing. If you think I am fun to read, try Mark Twain.
My writing still has grammar issues, punctuation issues and without a spell checker, this would read like a first grader's attempt at a pre-med spelling test. The ideas that I come up with are not unique to me, everyone thinks of this stuff. I know that they do, because I get emails everyday that say, "I was just thinking about that" or "I was just talking to my friend about that the other day". The rest of it's just opinion.
My advice to all of you that want to write... Sit down. Look around the room. Whatever your eyes are drawn to first - write about that. Write about everything you can think of, whether it is relevant or not. Keep writing. THEN, post it on the internet and sit back and enjoy the criticism that flows in. The more you write about what you can see around you, the more you will be able to focus your own thoughts, recognize your style and free up your mind from thoughts and ideas that would have died inside you had you not put them down on paper (or screen as the case may be).
That bicycle of mine made me feel like a superhero. I still can't ride a wheelie and I have abandoned the belief that a bicycle will take me everywhere I will go. Today, my words take me everywhere I go and I ride them everywhere. I never started out with the intention of growing these crops in my garden, but that's what sprouted in the rows. And whether it was a perversion or intentional, this is what I intend to reap.
As a child, I used to think that riding a bike was the most difficult task that anyone could accomplish. There was nothing that amazed me more than to see my older brother riding his bicycle down the street and not fall off and die in a bloody heap. I could not comprehend his magical abilities on two wheels. It wasn't until I learned to ride a bicycle, months later, that I came to see that it wasn't the tremendous feat that I thought it was. My brother wasn't magic after all. I was so proud of myself for figuring out the trick and I felt like I was a part of a speical group of people in the world that knew something that others, less fortunate, did not. I felt so priviledged to know the secret and I swore to myself that I would ride that bicycle everywhere and everyday, for the rest of my life. I would ride that bicycle every moment that I could, just so I could show everyone what I could do. Twenty minutes later, the bicycle was laying in the front yard and I was inside playing with other toys. My skills were well established in my mind and I didn't feel the need to brag or to burn out my new "gift" too quickly. I decided that I could just recall the talent whenever I needed it in the future and impress people when the timing was right and called for.
With that said, I want to say that I am not the epicenter for creative writing. I would like to thank everyone for their kind words and their continued support, and I would like to say that I appreciate everyone that spends five minutes a day reading my words and another ten writing to tell me what they think of it. It moves me and makes this all worthwhile. BUT...
As much as I enjoy writing this blog, I am not an authority on writing. For all of you that keep asking me to help you write your blogs, I must admit that as much as I want to think that I know the secret, I don't. There was a time when I first found this place that I thought I had it licked and that I was the keeper of some great secret, but again, I don't. Most of the Technical skill comes from friends with a deeper knowledge of computers and the writing part is just my mind releasing backed up gas.
As much as I thought I could ride a bicycle better than anyone in the world, I was never able to ride a wheelie or to make a successful jump off of anything without crushing my tiny testicles in the process. My ego was quickly toned down with the discovery that everyone could do it and that there were others that did it better. The same is true in writing. If you think I am fun to read, try Mark Twain.
My writing still has grammar issues, punctuation issues and without a spell checker, this would read like a first grader's attempt at a pre-med spelling test. The ideas that I come up with are not unique to me, everyone thinks of this stuff. I know that they do, because I get emails everyday that say, "I was just thinking about that" or "I was just talking to my friend about that the other day". The rest of it's just opinion.
My advice to all of you that want to write... Sit down. Look around the room. Whatever your eyes are drawn to first - write about that. Write about everything you can think of, whether it is relevant or not. Keep writing. THEN, post it on the internet and sit back and enjoy the criticism that flows in. The more you write about what you can see around you, the more you will be able to focus your own thoughts, recognize your style and free up your mind from thoughts and ideas that would have died inside you had you not put them down on paper (or screen as the case may be).
That bicycle of mine made me feel like a superhero. I still can't ride a wheelie and I have abandoned the belief that a bicycle will take me everywhere I will go. Today, my words take me everywhere I go and I ride them everywhere. I never started out with the intention of growing these crops in my garden, but that's what sprouted in the rows. And whether it was a perversion or intentional, this is what I intend to reap.
posted by Daniel Loomis | 5:50 PM
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