Thursday, May 21, 2009

MY CUP RUNNETH OVER

When I started this blog, it was more or less an experiment that my wife suggested I try. I had just published a book and was in need of an outlet for my newly acquired interest in writing. You see, I assumed that after I wrote the book, I would no longer have an interest in writing. I was wrong. In fact, I found that my writing no longer consisted of just one project that I was hoping to complete for the sake of being able to say that I've published a book for my children to read someday. Now, I was writing for me, for my own enjoyment and hopefully for my readers as well.
In the early days of this blog, I had very little trouble deciding what to write about. Election season was just getting fired up, and I found it pretty easy to ride the wave of whatever topic was making the headlines on any given week, and throw in a few of my personal favorites to keep my blog from looking like all the others. I never wanted people to assume that they would know what I'm going to be writing about from day to day. I like to keep them guessing.

But now, I have run into an unexpected problem. While most writers wrestle with traditional "writer's block", not having anything to write about, or not knowing what direction to take the story. I think I've found a new "block" that seems to be equally frustrating. My brand of writer's block is having too much to write about, and not enough hours in the day to put it all down.
As I did my objective best to watch President Obama's speech today regarding the closing of Gitmo and the use of water boarding, I realized that I could write for days on end about the past few months alone and still not scratch the surface of this man's naivety and incompetence. In my wildest dreams, I could never have foreseen a United States President being so wrong on so many issues that I wouldn't know where to start in writing about them. He has successfully created a creative log jam in my head.
Just this week, I have articles stored in my head about abortion vs Notre Dame, Joe Biden's attempt to break the all time "foot in mouth" world record, Dick Cheney being the most mis-represented man in history, Nancy "I shouldn't have slept through the briefings" Pelosi, the coming shortage of Doctors in the new era of socialized health care, the new Dems and gun control...and that's just this week alone.
I feel like Lucy Ricardo in the candy factory. For me to do any justice to the topics I want to write about, I am going to have to hire a staff of writers, ignore my wife and children, or write another book. The first two options are probably not the way to go. Writing another book seems to be the most reasonable choice. So many of today's issues can not be covered properly in rapid-fire blog form, and I have too much to say and I am way too opinionated to be satisfied with writing a few paragraphs about the destruction of my country.

5 comments:

Seane-Anna said...

This doesn't mean you're not going to write on your blog anymore, does it? Say it ain't so!!!!

Roadhouse said...

Seane-Anna,
Actually, I'm thinking about incorporating my blog posts into the book. My plan is to use them as jumping off points and expand on the topics in the book as I go.

The last book was standard "chapter" style. I think the next one is going to be more of a "free form" style, with a little less traditional structure, but with more humor and verbal bomb-throwing.

Dan O. said...

Your answer to Seane-Anna kind of supersedes what I was going to suggest. That if you're thinking of not blogging to rethink it and at least use it to keep us informed of your progress on the book.

You certainly are more ambitious than I. I just want an occasional outlet for my thoughts. I don't want to have to keep them in any kind of concise organization needed for publishing in a book.

Good luck with your endeavor. And feel free to bounce ideas off your blog buddies!

Seane-Anna said...

"Good luck with your endeavor. And feel free to bounce ideas off your blog buddies!" I second that. :)

JMK said...

I also wish you the very best.

Of course, you can do both....start your book topics off on the blog and expand upon them for the book.

Time permitting, of course.