Books, authors and more

I talked about my current writing malaise in my last post. I got some really wonderful commentary and feedback, which I truly appreciated. It had been something like 7 months since I had last posted, and to know people remembered me and cared enough to comment really made my situation seem a little more bearable.

I've fully admitted to being a book worm, a lover of words and a general nerd about reading. For a long time, I read anything I could get my hands on, and generally enjoyed it. As I got older, my taste slowly refined, and I finally figured out that I adore detective stories.

Detective stories, folks- NOT murder mysteries. I can't stand mysteries. I absolutely hate them with a burning, scathing, unbridled and relentless fury. Mysteries drive me crazy. Many of them are formulaic, and a lot of the time they try the Sherlock Holmes/Agatha Christie minute, obscure and irrelevant detail bit as a key to discovering whodunnit. I can't stand that crap.

I prefer detective stories, especially serials. Following a gumshoe along on their adventures both good and bad is like visiting an old friend and seeing what they have been up to since the last visit.

Here's a list of some of may favorite authors, with a list of their books I enjoy, and some commentary about why I like them. I'd love to hear about your favorite friends- I need SOMETHING to do.

A Voice from the Grave

Jim McDougal may not be stopped, but I sure am. 

I recently gt invited to (and joined) a group aimed at getting aspiring writers into writing. The group posts work on a shared drive, and then folks make comments on each other's work.

I put up an older piece, just to get a sense of what the group thought of my skill and ability level. So far, I've found that the criticism of my work is fair, but there's a lot of it.

I'm ok with that for the most part. I don't have too much of an ego; and getting better at writing is something I am interested in doing- whether now or over time. But that's my problem. I can't get better because I can't seem to write.

I have been blocked or stalled for ideas for months. I simply have no idea what to write about. I'm not currently gaming and haven't been for over a year. I'm only casually "arting". However, that process is slow moving and the most baby stepped place I have been in for a long time and I don't think it's of interest to gaming people. (I might be wrong- it does happen.)

I asked a friend to challenge me to write a story hook, and he gave me a lyric to use as inspiration. So far, I haven't had a lot of luck coming up with anything more than a hair of an idea for "putting out fires with gasoline". I'm still sketching out the thought I do have because I think it could be cool.  Putting words to paper /typing on the computer has been a lot harder than I ever imagined it might be several years ago when I started this blog, and I haven't been able to figure out what I want to do; or even if I want to do anything at all with it.

I can't use yarn because I can't knit. Is this blog my mental yarn?

I reviewed some of my archives and I remember loving writing and having a lot to say. I have stuff in drafts from months (almost a year)  ago, but none of it inspires me or causes me to want to write. Very little is motivating to me at this point, which is causing me a lot of concern.

Even the alliterations I know and love are beyond me at this point. It seems I'm spinning my wheels and I have nothing to get me out of the mud.

But a dear friend sent me a nice email, and asked me what was going on here. It was kind of nice to know someone out there liked what I was doing when I was writing. I don't know that I have any real answers for my pal, but I'm writing something; anything- just to be writing again.