start start start

when all else fails, doodle.

Weird-I do these spiders too!

I doodle boxes

I wish we could draw lines in here

Pilot .5mm alcohol-based ink rollerball. Nice choice of ink delivery apparatus, further evidence of left-handedness, for you see, we lefthanders must push rather than pull; this can be problematic with oil-based ink ballpoints.

i doodle boxes, too. and swirlies. and faces. and animals.

Except, VA, that this handwriting was not done by a left-hander.

pilot v5 is my favorite. red or black. i like blue, too. actually, i'm a bit of an ink-and-paper freak.

damn you!! :)

I mostly doodle ribbons.

I knew you would eventually slip, mon amie!

I was analyzing the horizonatal strokes, and true, they appear to be pulled. Hmm. I sense sinister trickery.

Not only are the horizontal strokes pulled, but the vertical strokes are virtually straight up and down — I have never in almost fifty years seen a left-hander whose handwriting didn't lean seriously to the right (directionally speaking, that is!).

This is a flickrdoodle

My left-handed script is rather quite vertical and not very consistant, nor visually pleasing.

::::Insert Matthew McConaughey Winking here::::

Sure he's a freak, but a HOT one!

I can't use v5, have to use the nice, thick v7. Always in black. Have a stack of them next to my nightstand.

I know we all have the things we struggle with. But mine drives me frigging batty.

I have a hard time starting. You have no idea how long I can stare at a blank screen. Or say, I'll just check Flickr really quick (infamous self lie).

I have GOT to get this done.

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Comments

larry&flo says:

the horror of the blank page

nice doodles

thanks for sharing your block
:-)

I am tremendously envious of your handwriting.
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

smiling_da_vinci says:

Yeps, the start is always the hard part. I know what you mean. What's the story gonna be about?
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

TheSteffers says:

When All Else fails...

I just put on Ben Folds and air piano.
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

Big Al Davies [deleted] says:

It's funny writing not fuzzy like mine. You can read the words and all.
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

Vision Aerie says:

I do believe you are left-handed, and I do believe most, if not all cameras are best triggered by the right hand.

There are a welter of things I should be doing now, instead of thinking in circles, dithering, procrastinating, flickring, being indecisive, feeling amazed at how a week ago or a month ago or a year ago or a decade ago was so recent; how time is accelerating as I sleep and worry my life away.
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

Happy Dave says:

Y'know, when I couldn't start, I used to write the end. Like, the final paragraph. It's oddly easier to do. Or do a handstand. Seems to work for me.
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

bosquetango says:

I feel your pain, cher. When I can't get a page started, I dance. The stronger the beat, the better! Most any of the Buddha Bar series works fine.
Or, as Douglas Adams said:
"Writing is easy. You only need to stare at a piece of blank paper until your forehead bleeds"
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

emdot says:

you guys are the best. :)

ben folds, stef? i hadn't thought of that, but i love me some ben folds.

okay. ben folds, hand stands, endings, air piano....

da vinci, it is a story about a doctor who is refuting the nip/tuck tv show that is so popular here in the states. he dispels myths or things that are portrayed incorrectly; things that would never happen in real life. the doctor is going to be featured on oprah in the next coupla weeks.

thanks larry&flo. :)

vision_aerie... was i exposing or tricking? :)

bosque... dancing.... great idea. :)
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

Vision Aerie says:

I think you were obfuscating.
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

Automatt says:

More from your creating process!!
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

Linda's Many Muses says:

Oh, I'm "write" there with you, Em. And I TEACH writing. How awful, huh?

Do as I say, not as I...don't.
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

Sugar Booger says:

i like the changing colors of ink...that didn't help?
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

emdot says:

the ink helped, sugar, but the fact that i keep checking flickr (just one more!) is not helping.

okay: accountability time: you guys will not hear from me again until BOTH pieces are finished (should be this afternoon) (if there are no flickr breaks).
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

Juice Box says:

i'd lead with the "argh!!!" - always an attention grabber.
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

Rabooka [deleted] says:

I've gotta tell you guys...my sister is one of the most talented people I know! She is an outstanding writer and is the best doodler ever.

Love you Marya!!!

xoxo
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

avrilstylo says:

I know exactly what you mean about staring at a blank piece or paper or a blank computer screen. What I always do that helps is just start typing and rambling if at all necessary because it just gets things flowing and possibly to the things you need to be writing about.

Good Luck! :)
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

BenODen says:

Hmm, starting. It was a cold, humid night, the ocassional dog howled at the moon, arrrooooooo! But otherwise it was quiet, too quiet. The drifing wind brought no other noise with it. Actually it's not quite true. Across the wind you could ocassionally hear a doctor dragging his scalpel across the sharpening stone.

That's how I start all my news stories. True stuff. Since I've never written a news story, though, it can be neither proved nor disproved. Probably a good thing.

My doodles are roads in perspective with stick cars on them. I just realized. Every road I draw has a dotted passing line down the middle, even if there's a curve to it! Must be some barely repressed wish for open roads.
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

Linus Gelber says:

For my part, I never use white paper. White paper is awful. I favor blue and green or I write on the backs of things, which makes it feel like I'm not committing anything, I'm just making notes.

Music really varies. If it's distracting I can't work. If it's too soothing I can't work. If I like it too much I can't work. Best is if I can sing/hum/stomp along without noticing, that's when I get writing briskly.

Tastes are so personal. For me, there's been good success with some Michael Nyman (Piano, MGV), selected Philip Glass (NOT Glassworks, which irritates me, but The Photographer or his later stuff). Samuel Barber is great, especially the Dawn Upshaw Knoxville recording, and Bruckner and Mahler work for me as well.

Mozart shouldn't work, but it does - Jupiter a favorite - and Bach shouldn't work, and it doesn't. Unless there's already a flow going, in which case it could be the Spin Doctors for all it matters.

My recent writing trick is Tori Amos - Crucify has been a real blessing.

Then again, the last time I did a press release I was up until 5:00 a.m., so maybe you shouldn't listen to me. Tori lost her touch on press releases.

Also, if trouble persists, be sure to blame the pen.
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

cloud_nine says:

nice spread into your soul, really awesome !
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

emdot says:

One down. One to go!
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

BenODen says:

Yay! Carry on!
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

B.E.C.K. says:

em really does have the cutest handwriting. And Happy Dave has the right idea -- I write endings first, too! :-)
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

It'sGreg says:

If you write "start" three times, does that mean you actually have to start three times?
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

mscaprikell says:

ah.... don't you just love it when Mercury is in retrograde!?!
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

Elizabeth Taylor says:

I'm with stefanie...the air piano will solve anything. Air guitar, air drums and ESPECIALLY the air microphone (my favorite) are really, really helpful in these situations.

Also, less guilt than Flickr.
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

bodhi47 says:

this is weird. To start something I sometimes type the "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." Then the next thing you know you're typing and it's flowing and it's actually getting done.
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

auntnanny says:

pretty handwriting!
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

tornado girl says:

I was going to add...

ah...

er...

um...
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

Brunocerous says:

i never put off procrastinating. you never know when you'll get another chance.
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

Lorrie McClanahan says:

So glad to see I wasn't crazy thinking, 'this person isn't writing left-handed.' I've commented on your southpaw-edness (interestingness, southpaw-edness...flickr is destroying my grammar!) before but now I'm thinking you must be ambidextrous, because that's you, right? At any rate you have gorgeous handwriting and a charming way with spider doodles, it appears.

As for procrastination, don't tell anyone but I'm supposed to be working on my taxes which of course I put off by filing an extension back in April. Just thought I'd check Flickr really quick...
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

JiandaSoft says:

Yes, very nice *and* colorful penwomanship.
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

emdot says:

Everyone thanks for the words of support (especially to my wonderful sister Rabooka whose birthday it is tomorrow).

I got half of it done. Which is half better than none at all. :)
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

marilink says:

I know what you mean! it has even a name "the blank piece of paper syndrom" or something like that...
but I think that stage is really necessary... it´s just a step before all your ideas begin to flow, in a mess, they are just forming... give them time. At least that is how it happens with me. That first stage is dread but it's so good, your mind is taking a time to concentrate!
Good luck!

(the "I'll just check Flickr really quick" is the biggest self lie in the world, and it keeps working. No solution for that)
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

Happy Dave says:

You should post this in The Written Word group, which by the way people, is a cracking idea, but is suffering a lack of members cos Rob, the admin, is too polite to spam his contacts.
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

D LeRoy [deleted] says:

Thank you for sharing your problem with us. Of course no other writer has that problem. I simply sit at the comuter and begin...by checking flickr. Arghhhh indeed. My wife has already threatened me with alienation of affection. I told her I'd start a new flickr group by that name!! She walked away. I'm taking that as assent.
Actually, God has gifted me with a creative mind and active imagination...it's gittin' my ass into gear that seems to be the problem. You know, I could start anytime I felt like it...
Your stream is always interesting and your ideas flow freely to us very often, my friend. It looks like good weather in your part of the world.

David
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

Eneko Alonso says:

Wow... even the flickr note boxes look "nice" in the picture.. XD
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

Eneko Alonso says:

Uhm.. a quetion to everyone....

Where can I find Pilots in California, SLO área?

I also love them, and I have the ones I brought from Spain. But I have never seen one here, in these 8 months...
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

jstangroom says:

I like the spider...
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

aqui-ali says:

wow.
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

GustavoG moved to http://23hq.com/GustavoG says:

"It was a dark and stormy night..."
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

foutugraphe says:

Don't we all know what you mean?
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

emdot says:

'Graphe, I'm thinking yes, yes you do. And that makes me feel much better. Because when you are sitting all along trying to write... god... it can feel like you are the only one.

That's the great thing about Flickr. Instant procrastination community. :)

Thanks all. ;)
Posted 53 months ago. ( permalink )

music2work2 says:

Hi - this is Andrew from music2work2 - I was hunting the creative commons for an image to accompany a piece of music on procrastination and thought this was perfect. I am using it here:

music2work2.com/index.php/2009/06/04/paul/

with an alt / title attribution and a link back to here.

Thank you for making it available,

Best wishes

Andrew
Posted 7 months ago. ( permalink )

emdot says:

very cool! thanks for letting me know, andrew. :)
Posted 7 months ago. ( permalink )

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larry&flo says:

smiling_da_vinci says:

TheSteffers says:

Big Al Davies [deleted] says:

Vision Aerie says:

Happy Dave says:

bosquetango says:

emdot says:

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emdot says:

Juice Box says:

Rabooka [deleted] says:

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BenODen says:

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cloud_nine says:

emdot says:

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It'sGreg says:

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bodhi47 says:

auntnanny says:

tornado girl says:

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Lorrie McClanahan says:

JiandaSoft says:

emdot says:

marilink says:

Happy Dave says:

D LeRoy [deleted] says:

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