Mittwoch Matinee: Writing

This Sunday marks the tenth anniversary of The Brancatelli Blog, which has been published in its full form every Sunday morning, rain or shine, since July 8, 2014 (see Mittwoch Matinee: 10 Years).

When people ask how I have been able to write so consistently over that time, I tell them the hardest part isn’t figuring out what to write–after all, I’ve written about gelato, doorknobs, subway seats, car mats, politics, religion, lima beans, fast balls, used cars, God, love, marriage, and death. The hardest part is finding the time to write. And it’s not really a matter of finding it but fighting for it, sometimes ruthlessly.

…the life of a writer, whatever he might fancy to the contrary, is not so much a state of composition, as a state of warfare; and his probation in it, precisely that of any other man militant upon earth,–both depending alike, not half so much upon the degrees of his wit–as his resistance,”

Laurence Sterne, Tristram Shandy, V, 16 (1762).

If you are a writer, you know what I’m talking about. The world is not your friend. Discipline is the name of the game. I have written in trains, planes, automobiles, stairways, rooftops, bathrooms, barrooms, airports, during weddings, and in the midst of storms. Just as the show must go on, the script must go on. Johnny Carson did thirty years on The Tonight Show. I figure I’m a third of the way there. Of course, he did it with a lot of guest hosts, so maybe it’s time.

Enjoy this classic scene about an aspiring writer. Word choice is so difficult.

Feature image by kazuend. Want more? Go to Robert Brancatelli. The Brancatelli Blog is a member of The Free Media Alliance, which promotes “alternatives to software, culture, and hardware monopolies.” Many thanks to Blumen Publishing for their continued support and guidance. Happy July 4th!