Carrie Bradshaw is My Religion (Sort Of)

So I failed. I made up every excuse in the book. I had to watch one more show on Hulu. I had to sort through my socks and make sure they all had partners. I had to feed my dog (I don't have a dog). I had to answer all of the telemarketing phone calls that always call me at the exact same time every day to request that I be put on their do not call list. And then proceeded to have nice little chats with each of them. There might have even been a point where I decided to organize my pens by the color spectrum. My fool proof plan was a failure.

It made me realize just because I set a goal to write does not mean I will write. Clearly, writer's block doesn't work that way. So although my exercise failed I did learn an important lesson. Maybe it's time to try something different.

Avid procrastinator and T.V. watcher that I am I found myself watching an episode of Sex and the City that was focused on my exact issue (Season 5, Episode 2 "Unoriginal Sin" to be exact). Carrie was also struggling with writer's block. She was talking about how her lack of inspiration led her to write about her quest to find the perfect french fry when I wanted to jump through the screen and give good ol' Sarah Jessica Parker a hug. Hallelujah sister! She knew my pain.

                                             (via theboywiththepradabackpack.blogspot.com)

Sex and the City hasn't just helped me with my writing but others too. I was surprised to find this article on how one writer learned about writing from Sex and the City. It struck me as insane and random but I suppose that's what writing can be sometimes. Doesn't matter how you find inspiration as long as you do. And it can come from the most surprising of places. So thank you Sex and the City.

                                                            (via anygoodshow.com)

In the episode Carrie writes a poem about how men are like argyle socks (again a random inspiration) and also goes to a baptism. The theme of religion and writing about whatever your eye lands on in your room gave me an idea for my own poem that popped into my head as I drank a refreshing glass of water.

Water For the Senses


Pour some water upon my eyes they have to be baptized
Cascading waves could never erase the sin from any saint
After prayer and contrition
Water can give no redemption
Aching with no other thought
I cast my sightless eyes upon my closed lids

So there it is! My first piece of writing post writer's block. It has no real meaning. I was just working with religious and watery imagery. But it's a start. Funny how it came from trying to avoid writing instead of from a writing exercise I was forcing myself to do. Carrie Bradshaw helped me find my faith in writing again. Amen.

Hello hello!

I'm no Hemingway, Edgar Allan Poe, Faulkner, or god forbid Shakespeare. When I write it's usually at 2 am when I'm half drunk with sleep and the shadows are morphing into little creatures in the corners. It doesn't always make sense at the time I'm writing or it makes perfect sense until I read it again in the morning wondering what in the world I was talking about. Yet it's my writing all the same and breathing life into words is what I have always loved to do. These days writing has become slower and slower to come by. I never seem to have the time, energy, or inspiration to write....well...anything at all. Considering I never had a real method to writing to begin with I had no clue how to fix this. Was it even fixable? I decided to start this blog to see if there is a cure to this writer's block disease. Since I've never used any method when writing maybe I should try out some writing methods to see if they can work for me.

Basically, a self-exile into writing.

Maybe I'll discover that all I needed was to be forced into my mind again to drag my inspiration out kicking and screaming so I can chain it to the page. Or maybe I'll find out inspiration can't be forced otherwise your writing will end up resenting you, boycotting the page picket signs and all. Either way, I need to see if there really is a method to the madness of writing. Or if the method is there is none at all.

First assignment: a friend of mine told me that her aunt, a creative writing teacher, often asks her students to choose a piece of music to listen to and then write whatever the music brings to mind to turn into a creative writing piece. I decided that was an easy enough place to start.

I chose this live performance of "Concrete Wall" by Zee Avi
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I think it's so beautiful on its own but it will be interesting to see if I can bring my own work out of hers. Here's to hoping this works...or is at least a good start.

Until next time.