Tag Archives: Writer’s block

Humor

Notes of Future Past (writers block)

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I’ve decided that I need to be more regular in updating my blog and as such I am harvesting some ideas from older notes for a few of my latest blog posts.

My current dilemma is what most people call writers block but I tend to be a bit dramatic so I like to refer to it as “the proverbial brick wall.” It has a nice combination of legend and pain.

One would think that a pandemic in which you are forced to restrict all physical contact with everyone would be perfect for getting some writing done. One could think this but one would be wrong.

Writing during a pandemic has been near impossible for me to do without being affected by any emotion associated with the pandemic.

Consider the cliche and somewhat comedic, “It was a dark and stormy night.” During a pandemic a “dark and stormy night” is a walk in the park and does not achieve what the writer intended to create , a foreboding atmosphere. To truly capture the feeling of impending doom, the cliche would have to be modified such that the walk in the park turned into a dark and stormy walk in central park, during a recession. Maybe I’ve seen “The Warriors” too many times.

For me, an extended visit to writers block land can usually be broken up by a trip to Vegas. In Vegas there are way too many “What the hell did I just see?” moments to not have any ideas to write about.
In the middle of a pandemic a trip to Vegas doesn’t strike me as a good idea. Don’t give me any “cancel culture” bull. I have a compromised immune system and Ive been a science geek all of my life. If you find yourself using the term cancel culture regularly you might want to retrace your steps back to Jr. High School and find out where you lost your common sense.

In lieu of a trip to Vegas the internet is a good place to break through the proverbial brick wall. Just don’t believe everything you read.
Which is a great way to get writing ideas. Prefacing anything you read with the phrase “what if this were true” is a great way to generate story ideas. Of course if it is true you may be just sewing seeds for disinformation and conspiracy theories. If you can’t tell the difference between fact and fiction and you have performed exhaustive searches through “snopes.com”, “factcheck.org” and “politifact.com” then you should move on to something that is obviously as true as “the world is round”. If you have doubts even about that then for god sake stay off of the internet.

Humor

Tales From Vegas

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I am on my way to the airport and my stereo system , not finding the artist I commanded it to play,  chooses on it’s own.

Fresh beats hit the speakers and the sounds of  a dance number titled  “Breakfast in Vegas” by Praga Khan are reverberating around the panels of my Fiesta. That’s right , it’s a party on the road. I am a few hamsters shy of having a car commercial on my hands.

Since I am on my way to Vegas I find this whole scenario interesting but not worth much thought. Vegas as a force can put gravity to shame.  The origins of Vegas is a well known story but it is hard to believe that a group of writers were not involved. The collection of characters that inhabit this city should insure that no writer  ever passing through suffer from writers block.

From the neon signs that have been abandoned by their host buildings to the upside down check cashing sign and the house that Bugsy built there are tales clamoring to be told. Every corner turned and every hotel safe opened reveals a bit about the night or the decade before.

Checking into my room I inspect the functionality of the hotel safe. My laptop is old but it contains hundreds of stories and the thousands of hours spent crafting them. Once assured of it’s security I place my computer into it but discover an empty packet for some kind of endurance product named Rhino something or other. Wow,this person took their gambling serious, I thought.  I flipped over the other side of the packet and read the fine print.  A revelation popped into my head, oh that’s what they took seriously. I guess it was in the safe for extreme emergencies and I guess he had one.

Having locked up my dreams* for the night, I headed down to the street to join the characters that would inhabit my world for the next few days. I am in the downtown section of Vegas where things tend to be grittier. It has more of a state fair atmosphere than the strip. Less than a block from the hotel I discover a little bar that has a section exposed to the street complete with barstools outside so you can enjoy your drink and people watch at the same time.  I make a note of it and decide to check out what is happening further downtown. I am meeting up with one of my oldest friends tonight and by oldest I mean he has been a good friend for a long time. He also just happens to be older than me.** His flight puts him in Vegas a few hours from now so I have some time to burn.

I head down to one of the stage areas where free concerts are always going on. Tonight it’s Elvis. I am now officially in Vegas. Truth be told, I could have done better but there was not a keg of beer and a karaoke machine in site. After a while I move past Elvis and make my way down the block to the next stage complete with band. I didn’t catch their name but they seem to be a hair band tribute. Which hair band? Apparently all of them. After listening to their version of Bon Jovi’s version of  the Thin Lizzie song “The Boys Are Back In Town”, I decide that this is my cue to go back to my newfound bar because surely the boys are back in town

Getting back to the bar I  sit down at the outside section . It’s the kind of a place where they may not know your name but are friendly enough to make one up for you.

I pick up a drink menu. It announces  the name of this place as “The Park”. Strange, not a tree or blade of grass in sight, I thought. Glancing around I notice the only business sign attached to the building, a small unassuming neon job with an arrow pointing to the bar and the words “Park”.  That seals the deal. With the sign and the excellent beers on the menu I decide this place is now my favorite bar in Vegas***. I have officially found my orbit in the gravitational field of Vegas.  I obey the sign and stay for a while. I text my friend my location and settle in with a fine brew.

I people watch and continue to consume brews and time passes quickly. You know how it is when you are minding someone else’s business. I soon hear the familiar greeting of my friend and I welcome him to my new favorite bar. Seeing the “Park” sign he approves of my choice. We toast the visit and both agree that this will be a good time, tales will be told and new ones generated. Writers block should not be an issue for a while.

*Hey it’s a metaphor, I am trying to be literary here.

**Yes, its a smart ass shout out to my friend James.

*** When I am in a new town I feel that I have not officially visited unless I have found a favorite bar. It usually does not take long even in a large city. It gives me a home base for the current and perhaps subsequent visits.