I had something all ready to go last weekend, but then I decided to buy what you see above, Old Grand Dad 100 proof whiskey. There went that idea. So instead I give you what will probably become a recurring feature when I don't have a single big topic to write about. Here is the first installment.
Part I: Why I don’t update
Deep inside my mind I knew that this time wouldn’t be any different; I knew that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with even a paltry two updates a week. For once, it’s not for lack of topics. I still have at least 3 or 4 that could go well beyond my usual 1,000 word benchmark. Still others are lesser, but yet I want to write about those things too.
The truth of the matter is lately, I just don’t care.
Now, that’s no way for a writer to talk, is it? For one, if the writer doesn’t care, why should the reader? That’s fair enough. However, I’m going to be very childish and say that the reader didn’t care first.
I don’t have the luxury of having hundreds of friends on Facebook or MySpace; with such a large sample size, one would think at least a handful of people would come check it out. So I’m down already, but not out: I still have some friends on those sites, and if even 25% (which would be what, four?) of those people would read this garbage, I would feel all right. Unfortunately, no one has.
Sure, I’ve forcibly shown the site to a couple of people, but aside from initial comments, I’ve heard nothing. If I suck, fine. Tell me that I suck and that you’re never coming back. At least I know you came. But if I really am a good writer, who the hell am I writing for? I understand people are busy and have better things to do than check out a shitty blog written by grumpy old man, but would every once in a while hurt? A “Hey, I like what you wrote!” or “You’re an idiot” from someone other than Ken would be cool.
Honestly, I think school spoiled me. I had a deadline to work with, a grade on the line, and perhaps most importantly I was ten times bitterer than I am now. Those things kept me going. The other writers in my class may have been forced to read everyone’s stuff, but at least they were there and you knew they were paying attention.
If I wanted to write for myself, I have a 10-pack of notebooks in the drawer beside me. I could write in those and keep them away from everyone, so later on I can look back and see how stupid (or ahead of my time) I was at twenty-five. Right…
I understand that blogs get readers through word of mouth. One blogger goes to another blogger and says “Hey, check out my shit!” and it goes from there. Well, I don’t have the sack – even with the anonymity of the internet – to do that because 1)Yes, I am a giant pussy, and 2) because I have no focus. I can’t write something about the Brewers and expect a sports blog to link to it when everything else on the site is about 17 other random things. It doesn’t make sense to me, even though I’m probably wrong.
Part II: Television vs.
Here I go being two months late again, but I read this report and it scared me. We’re getting closer and closer to the movie Idiocracy. I don’t want to come off as Mister High-and-Mighty English major, because I don’t fit that stereotype, at least not all the way.
My friend Ken said “if there are no tits or Batman [in the book], then I’m not interested.” That’s fine, but it infuriates me. I’ve read a ton of stuff that I think he’d enjoy, but I’m met with resistance. I don’t want to sound like one of those people that proudly proclaim that they don’t own a television. I think both media have their merits. TV, admittedly, has something for everyone: educational programs on PBS, History Channel, and Discovery Channel; and mindless entertainment like WWE, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and Beavis and Butt-head.
But so do books. I think you can use your imagination in such ways that television just can’t match.
If I have a point here – and it may not be very good – is that people shouldn’t be so resistant to both reading and watching television. Books aren’t just for high-falutin’ English majors and dorks, and TV-watching isn’t for mere plebeians. Maybe if we did a little of both, we could have a more balanced – and ultimately healthier – life.
I found this on You Tube last weekend, and it made my day. I give you David Letterman interviewing Beavis and Butt-head.
1 comment:
See here is the thing. TV, along with movies, is the most multifaceted medium we have. And by that I mean what goes into creating a great TV show, hell even a shit one. First you need a good idea, then you need good writers, then you need good equipment to facilitate good camera work, good lighting, and an overall good presentation. Yes, when you have a book you see a story in your head the way you want to see it, however there is something to be said for seeing something the way others interpret it. You can be told "His heart broke as he saw his love gunned down" and you might be able to picture it, but there is nothing better than seeing a good actor playing a good part. You may be able to "picture" it in your head, but you cant truly see it until its in front of you.
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