Wednesday, October 22, 2008

I wish that just once people wouldn't act like the clichés that they are

I'm a bona fide TV junkie. I'll give most shows a chance, and I can watch some stuff over and over and over.

I acknowledge that TV is a real time stealer. I acknowledge that perhaps it numbs my soul. I don't care. It's entertainment, baby! and sometimes that's just what I need.

The Best Show Ever is, of course, Six Feet Under. I watched it sporadically when it was shown on Swedish television, and was always drawn to it's dark humor and flawless dialogue. I've since bought it and watched through it all with Mah Girl a few years ago. It's awesome, in the true sense of the word. Spectacular.

I want this on a t-shirt

Shows of that magnitude, that are that well-written, transcends entertainment. They become something more profound, a mirror in which we see something of ourselves reflected back. That might sound like pseudo-religious ramblings, but it's the truth, at least for me.

As I'm writing this, Grey's Anatomy is on. That show has become a real train wreck of soap opera intrigue and drama that is completely uncalled for, filled with completely one-dimensional characters. And just like Prison Break, it had such promise, that it never delivered on.

But really, I shouldn't be watching that much TV, or spending that much time slouching around on the Internet either. I should be writing. I should be structuring that novel I so very much want to write, or resurrecting one of the countless short stories that lurk in the depths of my hard drive.

One of my favorite authors, William Gibson, said (or wrote, not sure):
I suspect I have spent just about exactly as much time actually writing as the average person my age has spent watching television, and that, as much as anything, may be the real secret here.

I should listen to him.

This blog was supposed to be an inspiration for me to start writing again, after sort of a hiatus. It has helped in a way, since I'm writing here more than I've done in a long time, but it hasn't really helped me finish any stories. I need to get my bearded ass in gear and write more.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

*sparkar i arslet* Sådär, bara gört!

EGE said...

Your bearded ass?

Okay, now I really am afraid of you.

Now go write more!

Jesper Bylund said...

Maybe you should try Stephen Kings 1200 words a day: write at least 1200 words a day no matter if they're forced crap or awesome words of inspiration.

Another way might be using http://ficlets.com/

Either way, your on the right track, just write more. Doesn't really matter what.

Post some of it, let us harass you about it.

beardonaut said...

eva: Tack. Sparka på.


ege: Yes. Indeed. I braid it, too.


jesper: I read On Writing, and found it extremely inspiring.
However, there are two problems with writing 1200 words a day for me. One, I don't have the time, and two, my editor is so much stronger than my writer. I can't do writing frenzies, just putting the pen to paper or fingers to keyboard and write, no matter what comes out. I don't work that way. I can structure a text in my head for days before committing a single word to my laptop, and I like it that way. I have tried the other way, and it's only frustrating.
I will check out Ficlets, and I just might post something here for you to read.