the cutest blog on the block

Monday, November 1, 2010

How To Find the Sneaky Bugger (see previous post)

Want to know the scariest thing in the world?
It's a blank sheet of paper waiting for you to write on.
You think I'm joking? You sit yourself down, preparing to write the next Great American novel, and then it's like someone wiped clean the hard drive of your brain.  The blank page mocks you. "I'll just sit here taunting you because you're such a bad writer and have no real imagination. You'll be overrun by text-speakers by the time you're thirty and the English language will fall to the wayside and you'll never finish anything, MWA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!" 
What to do when Inspiration (capital I and all) decides to abandon you, evil laugh not withstanding?
You get up and you leave it alone. Take a walk. Play music. Bake a cake. For me, personally, I clean. Really.  I like cleaning, much to my mother's joy. My speciality is I cleaning the kitchen and the living room and I'm really, really good at it. I dust the floor. I clear out the fridge and Windex the glass cabinets. Since I've been doing these jobs since I was twelve and can do them in my sleep, my brain is free to do something else to occupy itself with more interesting topics. I have a random association hermeneutic in my head (it's like a giant game of Word Association at all times), so it's surprising to see where my mind can go when I let it.  And usually, when I'm busy washing dishes or wiping down the counters or cleaning the stove, ideas will start coming and flowing. Scraps of dialogue and little bits of scenes will start form, and usually I go back to the computer feeling more focused and intent.
Also, I play music. Really loud music. My tastes are fairly eclectic, and if you were to ask the rest of my family, that just means weird. I have Joan Jett & the Blackhearts alongside Taylor Swift (yes, Taylor Swift! She's what I dance to when I put on make-up) and Paramore (just got into them very recently due to my twin Adam..."Misery Business" is Ayden's theme song right now) and Picture Me Broken (screaming rocker band with a female lead singer) with Carrie Underwood. I am also constantly playing Needtobreathe's newest album The Outsiders, because if Liam McKenna (the grandfather) had a series of songs written for him, it would be by Needtobreathe. And it would have an awesome choir in the background (I am a sucker for a good choir piece). One of the tracks on the album, "Girl Named Tennessee" inspired at least two whole scenes between Ayden/Sydney and Silas/Katriona all by itself. The title track seemed to solidify Ayden's determination to restore her grandfather's house on her own.

"On the outside/You're free to roam /On the outside/We found a home
On the outside/There's more to see/On the outside/We choose to be
On the outside/You're free to roam/On the outside/We found a home
On the outside/There's more to see/On the outside/We choose to be..."

Seriously. This song just seemed to sum up everything I wanted to say about Ayden's decisions and choices. I've been playing it to death on my long-suffering iPod. So yes. This is what I do for fun, people. I clean things and play music.
You would think my life interesting!
Over & Out,
Rachel
P.S. Though, I personally, could care less, a happy and sincere congratulations to all the long-time, die-hard Giants fans out there. Especially to all my uncles on my dad's side of the family.

1 comment:

  1. I'm glad you get mind blocks! Seriously, I will gladly clean the kitchen for you if it means you'll publish something that will pay for part or all of your college tuition!

    ReplyDelete