Thursday, March 5, 2009

Blocked

I am suffering from writer’s block. I know what I want to write about, but the words just won’t come together. It’s most frustrating. I’ve started this week’s post FIVE times, but I never seem to get anywhere with it. I’ve set those attempts aside and I’m going to vent instead. You’ve been warned.

Nothing I do seems to help. Walks to clear my head haven‘t worked. Picture me storming through the neighbourhood grumbling to myself about how much this sucks. Time in the garden, which worked last week, has lead to the discovery that something has eaten the flowers off the crocuses. This is particularly irritating. The yard is fenced. There are plenty of crocuses growing out in open, easily accessible places. They remain untouched. What makes ours so special? Are they particularly tasty, or is the local wildlife just enjoying the challenge associated with getting over (around, under, through) our fence?

Taking the writing on the road hasn’t helped either. I’ve dragged myself and my writing implements to the library, to a friend’s house, to a coffee shop and to the Toyota dealership. Still stuck. The waiting room at the Toyota dealership is promising though, and if they hadn’t finished with my car so quickly I may have made some progress. I’ve had luck writing there before. Comfy chairs, quiet work stations, wireless internet, coffee, a fireplace. If we could just do something about the Regis and what’s-her-name on the television I’d suggest myself as their writer-in-residence.

Thankfully, not everything this week has been as difficult as my writing. Experiments in the kitchen have led to good results. I made these banana-blueberry muffins for the first time. Like the author, I had to make some adjustments. I didn’t have whole wheat pastry flour, so I too used regular whole wheat flour, and I didn’t know what was meant by “old-fashioned oats”. (My recent confusion regarding oats could be an article on it’s own.) I used quick oats instead. They worked. I was feeling too lazy to chop walnut halves in to suitable pieces, so I left them out. The resulting muffins were tasty, and they were the most healthful baked goods I’ve ever made. All the ingredients were either organic, or local or both. Just thinking about that improves my mood.

I also figured out a way to use my wok to steam tortillas. I’d never steamed tortillas before, and I consulted several websites before I figured this out… more on this soon. I just checked the time. I need to get lunch started. Fortunately today’s lunch involves tortillas, so I’ll take some pictures and show you what I came up with.

I realize there are likely to be many errors in today’s post. Live with it. I am. The important thing, for me anyway, is that I’ve managed to defeat my writer’s block, and I have something to post. I suppose I should worry more what you will think of my messy attempt to get some words out, but you were warned.

2 comments:

  1. There's no shame in being blocked and writing something different instead! I applaud you for your decision to write, even if you ended up writing about not being able to write :-) My writing efforts take all sorts of weird twists and turns--it's one of the things I love about writing.

    Maybe the elusive post of your dreams will allow itself to be written in the future...maybe it just wasn't ready to be born yet.

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  2. 3 cheers for writing about being blocked!
    hip hip hooray!
    hip hip hooray!
    hip hip hooray!
    "bitchin' writin'" (writing about being blocked) is the best way to fool those blocks and...write!) ha ha

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