Writing Tricks

I am on deadline now. I have two articles due in a relatively short time and about 35 other things that have to be done. My cellphone is ringing incessantly, the dog is barking and some kid has parked his car in front of my home office so that he and his girlfriend can blast bad rap music.

Needless to say my stress level is higher than I like or need it to be. The first person who makes a crack about my age, hardened arteries, heart attacks or anything that suggests that I need to take a deep breath risks bodily harm. Fortunately I have an arsenal of tricks, tools and resources that I can use to defuse the situation and lower the terror alert from Red to somewhere around powder baby blue.

First step is to turn on iTunes and see what song starts playing:

I’m A Man– Bo Diddley

This is perfect. I start nodding my head to the music and wonder if a few minutes before 10 AM is too early for some Scotch or a shot of  Whiskey. I let the words wash over me:

Now when I was a little boy,
At the age of five,
I had somethin’ in my pocket,
Keep a lot of folks alive.

Now I’m a man,
Made twenty-one,
You know baby,
We can have a lot of fun.

I’m a man,
I spell m-a-n…man.

All you pretty women,
Stand in line,
I can make love to you baby,
In an hour’s time.

I’m a man,
I spell m-a-n…man.

I goin’ back down,
To kansas to
Bring back the second cousin,
Little john the conqueroo.

I’m a man,
I spell m-a-n…man.

The line I shoot,
Will never miss,
The way I make love to ’em,
They can’t resist.

I’m a man,
I spell m-a-n…man.

I can’t help myself and I stand up play a little air guitar and then bang out two sets of push ups. The dog cocks his head at me and offers a quizzical look. I wink and smile back. My head is almost clear and I need just another moment to get into my writing groove. So I sit down and bang out this post where I share some of my tricks for writing when you are stressed out, busy and those around you act like their hair is on fire.

In just a moment I will point, click and publish this post and immerse myself completely in the words that are required to write the stories that help to pay the pills.