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 A tentative blog to test the temperature. |
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Ten years ago I was writing several blogs on various subjects - F1 motor racing, Music, Classic Cars, Great Romances and, most crushingly, a personal journal that included my thoughts on America, memories of England and Africa, opinion, humour, writing and anything else that occurred. It all became too much (I was attempting to update the journal every day) and I collapsed, exhausted and thoroughly disillusioned in the end. So this blog is indeed a Toe in the Water, a place to document my thoughts in and on WdC but with a determination not to get sucked into the blog whirlpool ever again. Here's hoping.     |
| Recent Concerns Sometimes I worry about the quantity I produce in WdC. Itās not like me to be so productive. Since joining the group, I have written far more (and more varied) stuff than ever before in my lifetime. Just as an example, in the year so far, I have written thirty-eight short stories. Thatās unheard of for me - Before I joined WdC, Iād have been lucky to produce as many as ten of them in a year. Iām not saying theyāre all good. In fact, thatās what is worrying me. Since I write now under tremendous pressure to produce something, it seems to me that the quality suffers. Not so much in the writing - I donāt have a concern about that, apart from the occasional typo slipping through (and thatās irritating enough). But in the ideas department. I just cannot force original and interesting ideas from the old brain on demand. Sometimes I get so desperate at the lack of ideas that I start without any notion of where the story will take me. The number of unfinished stories mounts in my storehouse. On occasion that method will work and Iāll have a good idea while Iām writing. But, too often, I finish the thing and it turns out to be, if Iām honest, pedestrian. By which I mean that it lacks that zing, that special shine that denotes something fresh and different. Maybe Iām being too hard on myself - others seem to find my stuff reasonably good. But maybe theyāre just being polite. Not that Iād like the output to slow down or be limited to good stuff only in the portfolio. This abundance of writing is so new to me that I enjoy it even with the worries. If I can produce the occasional gem, I donāt mind if itās surrounded by mediocrity. Let āem dig for the good stuff, I say. Anyway, thatās my moan for the day. Word count: 320 |
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