The Day Social Media Died

How many stars are there in the sky?

I refuse to cater to the instant gratification society. I refuse to agree to only write posts that are 350-500 words long because people might not read them.

I refuse to not have fun with headlines. If there is a need to blog about how sex is a cure for writer’s block I am going to do it because if I do these things that really will be the day social media died.

When people ask me how I manage to find things to write about I often answer with the question of “How Many Stars Are There In The Sky?” It is not just because I am insouciant and have a puckish nature. It is because I am curious about a million different things.

That curiosity leads me to ask questions and find out where people and things come from. Combine that with my love for writing and I can’t help but sit at the keyboard knocking out these posts.

It is what leads me to write stories about people and to share tales from my life.

Writer’s Block Is a Myth

They didn’t believe the day would come when Jack, captain of the mighty sailing ship “TheJackB” would succumb to writer’s block. It seemed virtually impossible that such a day would come.

It wasn’t just because he said it never happened but because they had never seen it happen. That crazy man could produce content at a ridiculous pace that made people wonder what the hell was going on with him.

Some whispered that he had made a deal with the devil and that in return for his soul he was granted immunity from the curse of the empty page. Others suggested that it wasn’t that at all. They said that Jack had gained the ire and enmity of a gypsy. They said the gypsy had laid multiple curses down upon him and that was why he was so restless.

They said that he ran four other blogs besides his main one and that he almost never slept. They said that some times people would find him passed out, face down upon his keyboard.

Some of those who claimed to know him best said that none of those things were true. They said many years before he had been the Dread Pirate Roberts and that he had sailed around the world.

Writer’s Block

Writer’s Block is a myth. It is not real. It is a little voice inside your head that says your words are ill-formed, illogical and inconceivable. Sorry, had to get another Princess Bride reference in there.

I don’t know that I always believed it was a myth but I can’t say I believed it was any more real than the monster under my bed. I suppose some of that comes from having a very active imagination and some of it comes from discipline and training.

What that means is I have taught myself to write when I don’t feel like writing and to ask questions about ordinary things.

It means that I wonder about why a desk made by a company in Scandinavia is called Borkenduffer and why said Borkenduffer comes with 983 parts. I look at the parts and ask about where they came from.

Did said Scandinavian company manufacture them all or did they have to buy some from some other place. Maybe the Snorkendiesel Screwdriver factory produced the Skivvy Sneezen for Mr. Flugenkooper because he didn’t have a machine shop that could do it.

Or maybe said Scandinavian company buys from China or Taiwan and then puts its own stamp on it.

Ordinary People Living Extraordinary Lives

People are endlessly fascinating. Sometimes we forget that what seems ordinary to us is sometimes extraordinary to others.

There have been times where I have been the only Jewish guy in the office and I have been asked questions that threw me. It wasn’t because they were particularly hard to answer, it was because these people hadn’t met any other Jews and I became the “ambassador.”

Questions about how I dress, the foods I eat and the holidays I celebrate were a big deal to them. To me it was pretty simple. I put on socks, underpants, shirt, pants and shoes and go out.

Except when I put my pants on I do it two legs at a time.

See what happens when you are exceptionally athletic. Woohoo.

But seriously, sometimes the best stories we have to tell are the ones that seem the most mundane to us.

Stories About People Drive Social Media

Write about your first kiss, first day of school, first day on the job, first time having sex, first time driving and you will find more than a few people are interested in it.

This wild and woolly blogosphere puts us in contact with so many different kinds of people. It is amazing.

I know for a fact that my readers include Submarine captain(s), Tank commander(s), doctors, lawyers, Software Engineers, Olympic athlete(s), teachers, engineers, students, writers and retired folks.

Surely among that crowd there are going to be people who can relate to what I share and or have amazing stories of their own to offer too.

Got to run now, going to interview a few people. Back later.

• Saved: Writing