Thursday 1 May 2014

Come Play in May: A blogwright's right to write, the rites.

Hey y'all!

Forgive the strained title.  It's very hard to get all four spellings of a homophone into a succinct yet catchy title.  Today I'm deviating from the standard nail path, again.  My girlfriends and fellow bloggers Evin and Shelley have been collaborating, only this time it doesn't require the use of hand tools or much mockery of PeopleWhoAreDumb.   They've defined the convergence point of being a blogger and still being a real person, and they've created a "challenge" around it - Come Play in May with the Axis of Ineptitude.  This challenge will run May 1-31, and the only rule is to Be Real in your writing.  Also, because this challenge is created by real people, they know that not everyone will have an entry every day.  In fact, if we're taking speculation, I'm gonna bet that not even the founders manage to do the full challenge, every day, on time - because they're real people.  I can already tell you that I will not make all 31 prompts, but I shall endeavor to join in when the prompt speaks to me and I don't have other crap on my plate.  Are you with me so far?  Good.

The starting prompt for this challenge:


Why do I write?

I write because I have words - lots and lots of words.  At night, my words run around in my head, playing leapfrog and rearranging themselves in ways which fascinate me endlessly, and also keep me from sleeping.  I tell my words to be quiet, but if any of you have ever had words, you know they don't listen.  Words only speak.  After a long night of partying in my head, sometimes my words sleep during the day, which is inconvenient for me as I try to write, when my words won't wake up, but there they are, snuggled into the recesses of my brain, like little pieces of pineapple and mandarin orange suspended in jello.  Word jello.

I write because when I want to use my words, sometimes they don't like to come out of my mouth.  They line up inside my head but when I give the marching orders to my mouth, they all fuss and tumble and nobody wants to go first, and then they all spill out, but not in the neat and orderly way that I wanted.  I once kissed the Blarney Stone, hoping for the gift of eloquence, but I don't think my words were paying attention and all I got was a head cold.

I write because I'm out of my element in a foreign country where even though I seem to know the language, sometimes my words and their words are the same words but don't mean the same thing.  Oft times I actively avoid using my words, because letting my words come out of my mouth only attracts attention and when you're trying to buy tampons the last thing you need is another person asking you where you're from and why you're here and if you like it and WHY CAN'T YOU SEE I'M BUYING TAMPONS AND CHOCOLATE AND WINE AND LEAVE ME ALONE???, but even though those words are screaming inside my head, I can't let them out because that would just draw more attention and the cycle is vicious and yes cycle has two meanings in this sentence.

I write because it's better than being stabby.

I write because I want to touch the people and places that I miss, because even though I know that most of them don't read what I write anyway, it is cathartic for me to talk to them, sort of like writing to Santa Claus or the tooth fairy, but moreso like writing letters to loved ones who've passed when you have things that went unsaid, and the words press on your heart until you're pretty sure that it's turned pancake-shaped and if you don't let the words out, grief will come along with cookie cutters of regret and start carving out bits and pieces of your soul until all you are is soul-dough scraps with holes where your feelings used to be.

I write because I read.  Somehow those go together.

I write because it's the only skill I've ever had that still holds my interest, even after all this time.  Someone once told me that because I'm an Aries, I'll never be able to finish anything I start, because I will get bored as soon as it doesn't go my way and move on to another project.  I don't think that's aligned in the stars, but it certainly makes me wonder, because I quit trying to make music and draw and sculpt and bake and do lots of other things after getting disheartened when I reached my talent plateau.  My words never leave me, even when I know I'll never be the best at them, if such things could even be measured anyway.  

I write because I like putting all my words into place and then moving them around until they look right and sound right and say what I need them to say.  Inside my head is a forge and I take my words with big iron tongs and I thrust them into the fire and then I beat them and fold them and wrap them and hone them until I am satisfied, and when I click "Publish" or "Send" the smith inside my head thrusts my words into a water bath where they are hardened into their final form and sent along their way to be used for good or evil by someone else.  Sometimes I save some words to wield for myself, too, but those are usually the ugliest ones that I know will do damage and I don't want them out in the world because then people will know that I'm the one who made those ugly, horrible tools.  I don't worry that they'll judge me - they've already done that.  I worry that they'll come to me and ask me to make more.

I write because it is sometimes all I can do.  I am a writer.  What are you?


Axis of Ineptitude

Like this post? Visit the other blogs participating in this challenge:



18 comments:

  1. What an absolutely bloody brilliant idea for a challenge! Love this post Ali :D

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    1. They're pretty bloody brilliant ladies, I think :) Thank you Sam. You could join us if ya wanted!

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  2. If I werent already following your blog I would have hit the follow button again. I really like this idea and I did find myself giggling throughout your post. I cant imagine how difficult it would be coming over from america like you said where the language is nearly the same but ever so different.

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    1. Thanks babe. You've been a blessing to me since I got here. Sucks that we're still too far apart to hang out, but I love having you there to giggle with. :)

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  3. "my words won't wake up, but there they are, snuggled into the recesses of my brain like little pieces of pineapple and mandarin orange suspended in jello. Word jello."

    I shall now adopt Word Jello into my vernacular. LOVE this. Love you. and you are probably right about the challenge founders. Them's some flaky bitches.

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    1. Word jello and flopsox are my contribution to society. I feel pretty good about that :)

      Love you oodles Shel!

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  4. Ah, the words in your head. They can be so frustrating when they can't, won't come out. Or won't come out decently. I think that's one the reasons I write, too. I live inside my head so much, replaying conversations, practicing conversations, thinking, thinking, thinking... it has to come out somewhere.

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    1. Ohmigah the replaying and practicing conversations. It never ends! (Bonus points if you read that in Alan Rickman's voice because you've seen Dogma too many times). Usually it's imaginary conversations that keep me up at night. Also, berating myself for every bad choice I've ever made. Good times.

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  5. Big pink hearts @ not being stabby. I do that a lot, write about things so I don't just freak out and go all crazy and brick someone's car. This is a wonderful post, I'm so glad you participated in the linky thingy so I could findy you-y. Or whatever I'm trying to say.

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    1. "... brick someone's car." Or face. Thank you so much. I'm excited to get to meet a whole different group of bloggers from this, and I'm already loving everyone's first day posts. We are a bunch of frustrated writers, for sure!

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  6. You nailed (see what I did there) all the reasons to write. Very well done, madam.

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  7. I'm a writer too... :) I think you reasons are very valid for it as well. Seeing as you keep this blog and keep going with the nail art then I would think you don't give up on everything you start. ^.^

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    1. This is assuming that the nail art is in it for the long haul and not just a passing phase. ;)

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  8. "I write because I like putting all my words into place and then moving them around until they look right and sound right and say what I need them to say. " -- This really spoke to me. I like to play with words, too!
    Glad to meet you via Evin and Shelley!
    :-)
    Traci

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    1. I am truly enjoying reading a whole new group of blogs through this challenge! So very cool "meeting" people and discovering commonalities between us other than having excellent choice of friends! :)

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