Let’s say you’re a writer, and you’re finding it difficult to write. You have ideas, perhaps you can even see events you want to write about happening in your mind, but you can’t commit them to paper. Maybe you feel that your ideas are invalid. Maybe writing is not your primary profession, and your main bread-winning scheme is hogging all of your time and energy. There are any number of reasons for it to happen, but whatever the reason is, you’ve hit a dry spell.

A dry spell is different from writer’s block in that while writer’s block stalls the writing process through a lack of ideas, a dry spell occurs when influences outside the writing process itself prevent the process from moving forward. Writing can be a deeply personal undertaking, even a quest, and personal issues and concerns can derail the smooth flow of a writer’s work as diabolically as errant pocket change on a public transit system. The worst part of a dry spell is not knowing how long it’s going to last. A good night’s sleep might restore confidence in one’s ideas, or a lack of free time & ambient energy can last for weeks or even months on end.

The key of surviving a dry spell is simply to not give up. Even if you feel any efforts you make might be futile since you’re not getting paid for them and you have to make ends meet more than you need to finish a particular article, chapter or story, dedicate yourself to writing it anyway as soon as you’re able. You also need to remember that you’re not alone in your struggle. With the economy in rough shape, and the publishing market a highly competitive and critical one, it’s highly likely that more than one would-be author is experiencing the same malaise, frustration or even despair that you are feeling now. Reach out to other writers, and I’d bet money that I unfortunately do not have that you’ll find them supportive and helpful.

I suppose I should get back to work, which sadly is not writing. But the ideas in my skull refuse to keep quiet, so I need to commit them to paper sooner rather than later.

“I cure illnesses,” Doctor Gregory House claims as he pops a handful of vicodin. “Not patients.”

Out of all of the television doctors I’ve seen, I can’t think of a single one who approaches House. Not only is he brilliant, he’s manically brilliant, to the point that Sherlock Holmes seems quite sane and well-balanced by comparison. He’s also a complete and total jerk ass. There are quite a few people in this world who have taken refuge inside a shell of sarcastic cynicism, but House has refined his to a suit of plate mail worthy of the dark ages. It’s very, very rare for House to show emotions other than driven genius or smug dickishness, and yet he does have extremely human moments. We watch the show to catch House when he’s vulnerable just as much as we watch it to see him piss off any number of people in the name of medical science.

Added to this is the fact that Hugh Laurie is an outstanding actor, and British at that. He knows the essence of dramatic presence and comedic timing, and wields both of them with the practiced precision of a master craftsman. On another show, he might completely outshine all the other actors and characters, but House is an ensemble show more than a vehicle for the curmudgeonly diagnostician, with everybody turning in believable and potent performances. Robert Sean Leonard in particular does a superlative job portraying the long-suffering Dr. Wilson, a man who stubbornly remains House’s friend despite the many, many, many things House does that might alienate other people.

I haven’t even mentioned the many odd diseases House and his team need to tackle in every episode, the very well-paced and nuanced tension between House and Dr. Cuddy, the head of medicine, and the dynamics of House’s team, both with each other and their madcap mentor. Oh, and did I mention the show is set in Princeton, New Jersey, not all that far from Philadelphia?

It’s another show about which I can’t say enough good things, and another show you should be watching if you aren’t already.

In the midst of my day-to-day workflow, the aftermath of my nuptials, and trying & failing to keep several financial chainsaws in the air while ducking for cover to avoid losing limbs, the news coming from my various writing prospects has taken a rather positive turn. I need to push forward on writing my fantasy novel, but some of my other writing has been getting attention or might earn me some scratch and, more importantly, notoriety.

The Escapist

Since my first article was published there I’ve been keeping my eye on their upcoming issues. I have one query in to Tom Endo, the acquisitions editor, and hope to brew up a couple more in the next few weeks. People actually seem a bit surprised when they realize I write non-fiction as well as my usual flights of fancy.

Adventure On A Dare

About a year ago I wrapped up working with Fritz Sprandel, a man who found himself on quite a few journeys in his life. I helped him chronicle one of his many sojourns, a solo canoe trip down the east coast that landed him in Castro’s Cuba. It’s a good tale and I hope he gets it to print soon. I heard last night my name will be prominently featured on the book’s front cover. More on this as it develops.

Blood from the Underground vol. 2

I was made aware of this by a dear friend of mine. This anthology of horror stories will have a second volume produced soon, and they were looking for submissions before September. I pointed them towards Akuma, which was quickly accepted. It’s a free contribution on my part, but it’s another way of getting my name out, this time in the realm of fiction.

For now, however, I have bills that need to be paid and a bank account waving its arms at me after getting tossed overboard by a wave of life events, so I’d best get back to work.

Considering how tight money is for me at the moment, I neither bought new comics today nor the Director’s Cut of Watchmen last night. However, from the annuls of my LiveJournal, I’ve plucked the review of the film and am reposting it with a couple revisions to clear up some confusion. So, without further ado, read on.

But what I do know
is to us the world is different
As we are to the world
but I guess you would know that. – VNV Nation, “Illusion”