I ran into a bit of near writer's block late last week / early this week. Truth be told, I'm not writing nearly as fluidly as I did back when I had a job. Back then, it was an escape from a really dull career. Not that I disliked my job, but there's only so much repetition one can do before his brain starts to go in strange directions.
Here, though, I can do whatever I want whenever I want. Sure, I have a schedule. But a couple of weeks ago, I realized that I didn't have to set the alarm at 7. Or go for a walk after breakfast. Or, you know, actually write once I got on the computer. No one's tracking my internet usage.
That changed on Monday, when I went for a job interview. At first, I was really enthusiastic, full of zip and pep. Only... everyone was so dull and miserable. When I told them that I was the kind of guy who liked a 40 hour workweek without overtime because I wanted to get home to my wife, I got a weird look. "Well, here, most people work until 7 or 8 at night, and they come in on the weekend. Not every week. Just when it's necessary."
I got home and emailed the recruiter, apologizing, but explaining that the job just didn't feel like a good fit. It wasn't the overtime. It wasn't the company. It was the people there; they seemed like they were just sleepwalking through the day, just trying their hardest to get through life.
That killed the writer's block. Realizing that I can either get some writing done or sleepwalk through the day.
Will you sleepwalk dance with me?
ReplyDeleteYikes. That job sounds horrible! Good thing you didn't take it. Another one will come along. In the mean while, keep writing. The only way to get past writer's block is to write, write, write. When I get really blocked up on a novel, I switch to flash fiction. I'll write three or four (or five or six) stories less than a thousand words. That usually frees me up. Short fiction is like the metamucil of the writing world. ha ha
ReplyDeleteLiz
I really like the idea of flash fiction... I may have to do that; the book is stagnating just a little again.
ReplyDeleteI got rejected by the awful job - but they sent me the reasons, which somehow made it worse. Mostly because I disagreed with all of them. "Prefers to work as an individual than as a team" - I didn't realize that was a trick question. When they asked which I preferred and I said, I'm great with both, but I do a little better on my own - I didn't know that would bite me in the ass!
I would've rather they just said "the other dude did better." And somehow, the nebulous "Personality wouldn't fit in well with team" strikes me as more reasonable than "was not prepared, did not understand company function" - which I DID know backwards and forwards, and made damn sure they knew it too.
Oh well - a second interview with a company next week; this will go better.