Infinite Loop

There are times when I get a song stuck in my head -- but not the whole song, just three or four lines that repeat in an endless loop. I can't play the whole song, but I can't not play those lines.

My next post has been in that same kind of loop.

It seems as soon as I made the blog public, I ran right into that giant wall of writer's block. It's been tough to find the time. It's been a busy week at work. I haven't been on the train as much this week (my usual source of quiet inspiration). I've been trying to tackle a tough topic.

All the usual excuses apply.

 But none of them are really accurate. The root cause is really all in my head. As soon as I made the blog public, I started thinking too much about who I was writing for. Instead of just writing what was on my mind, I was trying to craft something on topic.

When I started the blog, as I said in some of my early posts, it was to get the ideas circling around in my head and get them down on paper -- not because they're so profound or inspirational, but because by writing them, I can get my thought pattern off the hamster wheel. That's why I settled on Thinking Out Loud for the blog name. 

Sometimes the worst thing you can do with cancer is think.

The two most therapeutic things I do are run and write -- and I need to do both of them for me.

 -- Michael

p.s. I do realize that the Calvin & Hobbes isn't really about writer's block, but it's one of my favorite all time C&H strip.