Category: On Writing

My intermittent rumbles on writing, aspiring to write and the writing life. I store pent-up anger in this closet.

Categories
30Hz Bl-g On Writing

Fear the Page

I haven’t written anything in almost a month. Not one word of a story, novel or blog post. I’m not afraid of the blank page. We’re just not really speaking.

I had a memoir/creative non-fiction piece published in the excellent Specter Literary Magazine last week. (Find it here: http://www.spectermagazine.com/lit/prose/james-patrick) A story that means quite a bit to me, that took me a long time to craft and mold into the story it is today. I’m very proud of that story. Still this relative success has not inspired me to tackle any of the projects in my head.

Continue reading “Fear the Page”
Categories
30Hz Bl-g On Writing

Typewriter Experiment #2: The bugger is that I8m out of coffee.

Text (retyped for searchability but not edited):

The bugger is that I’m out of coffee. Losing apostrophes and adding spaces. My first attempt at a sentence haunts me on the back side of this paper. This physical dead tree in my typewriter. The sentence draws nearer every time I slide the platter back to its starting point on the far left side. “Jay Patrick is trying to type on a typewriter.”

Continue reading “Typewriter Experiment #2: The bugger is that I8m out of coffee.”
Categories
30Hz Bl-g On Writing

Typewriter Experiment #1: Getting to Know You

La Dolce Vita soundtrack by Nino Rota

Text (retyped for searchability but not edited):

As my first experiment in typing on a typewriter I just wanted to get used to the keyboard and do a little bit of key pounding. I must admit this feels much like heavy lifting compared to typing on a computer. My hand has already begun to cramp from using long lost muscles that I perhaps never had. Another thing is remembering to hit a capital letter at the beginning of each sentence. Thanks auto-type. I couldn’t even remember to capitalize the first letter in a sentence about capitalizing the first letter. Also did everyone type with three fingers or was every pinky and ring finger so beefy that fatigue and/or strength never factored in typing a single letter? I’m picturing legions of secretaries and housewives with Hulk Hogan forearms because as we know from Mad Men no male ever typed a damn thing in his life.

Continue reading “Typewriter Experiment #1: Getting to Know You”