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naraburns  nihil supernum  1yr ago (text post)   3971 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for March 19, 2023

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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Yes. It's more irritating because there have been periods of my life where I actually carved out a routine and made it happen for a while. I wrote some short stories and novellas. I even had a nonfiction piece published in a local anthology last year. I'm not truly a good writer - just look at my comments on this website for evidence of that - but when I put my mind to it, I have had genuine success.

But for some time now I've been in yet another one of those phases where my job is sucking the life out of me; in the morning I play with my cat, in the evenings I go to the gym, do chores, read, and sleep, and doing something really creative feels totally beyond me. I know I should man up and pursue my dreams, but for right now, I'll just lay down and wait to die...

I will note something that I want to act on soon. Recently I read the novel Shane by Jack Schaefer - better known today for its 1953 film adaptation, but a well-loved novel in its own right. Anyway: Schaefer, at the age of 38, started "writing fiction after hours as a way of calming down." He escaped into the world of the Old West through his writing. By doing this - he put out several very popular novels which are still remembered now. Not by struggling and grinding to the limit: he found a way of doing it which felt good, an escape which felt relaxing. Couldn't we do that, ourselves?

We can dream, brother. We can dream.

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