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Well, it's been three weeks since the big move, and I still don't have TV. Yes, I know there are starving people in third world countries like Vietnam and Ethiopia and Detroit, but I'm missing new episodes of South Park.
Not having TV has been a blessing in disguise. I can call it "research" all I want, but the reality of the situation is that it's an escape. Even though I write while I watch TV, I can't help but notice that the TV schedule has become MY schedule. Not having TV has given me more time to do the things I need to do - work, organize, run errands and go to the video store to rent entire seasons of TV shows that are now available on DVD.
Yes, writers are the king procrastinators. I'm gonna write this and I'm gonna call that person and I'm gonna REALLY REALLY pour myself into some venture... What a load of crap. What I'm gonna do is find some distraction to sort of offset my writing, because just sitting and writing and trying to force words onto the page is a waste of time. Distractions free the mind and stimulate the creative juices. You have to write ABOUT something, right? The best thing about distractions is that you can lose yourself in them and not write and use them as an excuse to not write. They're great.
Forgive the psychoanalysis, but procrastination is nothing more than a direct by-product of depression and discouragement. After being discouraged so many times, it's hard to find the motivation or desire to continue any pursuit. Why write when all your writing has resulted in you having to watch some horrible movie or TV show that couldn't possibly be as good as what you are trying to create? Why expend energy when you can slip into your comfort zone? It's so nice in the comfort zone (which is probably why it's called The Comfort Zone).
You want to know why? Because the world needs you, young writer. For crying out loud, how many movies do they make about sloths sitting in front of the TV and accomplishing nothing? Even Beavis and Butthead got up off the sofa and did something each episode. The world needs you to write something good - good enough to push all the crap out the bottom end to be discarded like crap should be. Imagine if your script is the one that gets made into a movie, leaving no resources for the studio to make Juwana Mann 2. At the very least, you'd be MY hero.
Maybe it's time to take a cue from our own writings. I've commented before about the audiences who go to see certain types of movies. The same holds true for writers. You think Brian Singer (X-Men) doesn't wish he had super powers? You bet your ass he does, and so do I. I'd be willing to bet that Shane Black wishes he was an adrenaline-fueled rogue cop with all the (unconventional) answers, and I'd bet that Audrey Wells has dreamed of ultimate, fairy tale love since she was a little girl. NONE OF US ARE WRITING ABOUT PEOPLE WHO ACCOMPLISH NOTHING, SO WHY ARE SO MANY OF US SO BENT ON OUR OWN SELF-DESTRUCTION?!! If we put as much energy into helping ourselves as we do into hurting ourselves, we probably wouldn't feel like hurting ourselves anymore.
No matter what I write, one of the characters in the story is, essentially, me. I can't help but notice that none of those characters is watching re-runs of Two Guys, A Girl and A Pizza Place on the WE (Women's Entertainment) Network. I used to be such a scary-looking freak that children would cringe at the mere sight of me! I drove past religious schools blaring heavy metal! Now I'm watching WE?!
There's nothing wrong with distractions, people - but don't let them become your lifestyle. My involvement with animal rescues has gone from charitable gesture to life's goal, but I still can't help but feel like it's a form of cop out. After all, the animals need me, so I don't really have time to write TODAY. I can always do THAT tomorrow.
Maybe.
Maybe not.
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