We're All Guilty of It, so We All Need to Stop

We all have a routine when we turn on our computers everyday. Mine includes checking and answering emails, watching the funny video links in those emails, and checking Facebook.

As I scroll through the different thoughts that my friends have chosen to bestow upon the world, I find myself experiencing a wide range of emotions, usually something like this:

Boring...boring...annoyed...boring...annoyed again...ok, that's funny...boring...you're an idiot, learn to spell...funny...annoyed...more annoyed...getting irritated...nevermind.

This is usually the part where I've come across how much somebody misses somebody else, loves somebody else, can't live without somebody else, had such a great time last night, etc. You know what I'm talking about. This is also when the urge to purge has gotten to the point of no return, and I need to leave Facebook or risk a major stain on my new furniture.

Here's the thing: I have no right to judge anybody on putting sentimental crap on Facebook. We've all been there, and any of you who say different are delusional. My concern is for the people who feel the need to post these things every single day, often two or three times a day. The world doesn't need to know that you have the greatest boyfriend or girlfriend in the world, only they do.

Being a hopeless romantic myself, I'm all for sentiment and affection. I also believe that when it comes to matters of the heart, any and all things that need to be said between two people are meant to stay between those two people. Here's a thought, and I can't believe that I'm apparently the first to think of this...TELL THE PERSON YOURSELF!! Actually leave your house, go to theirs, and tell them to their face; not the world of Facebook.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that my friends are happy. But I don't give a rat's ass how much they love or miss someone, or how their boy/girlfriend is the best. Stop filling up my wall with that crap and go tell them in person.

Coincidentally, these are the same people who, when single, are those that never hesitate to let the rest of the world know how bad their love life is, how depressed they are, and how they're NEVER going to find happiness. Isn't it ironic? Don't ya think?

-GS

...But When I Become a Star, We'll Be Living So Large. I'd do Anything for You.

I recently talked to a very dear friend of mine about a poem that I wrote, which happens to be on this site. She talked about the defining line in the piece, which states, "Because without you...I'm nothing."

Her concerns over this line were that I didn't think of myself enough without somebody in my life, and being a concerned friend, made it known to me that I didn't need anybody else to make myself feel complete. That really hit home for me, and made me question whether or not she was right.

Food for thought comes from some strange places, and for me it came from our stand-in DJ at work tonight. A song came on that seemed to provide some clarity for me.

I have to be honest with myself when I say that my pursuit of becoming a successful author carries with it the glorious idea of being financially stable doing that which I love more than anything else, as most best-selling authors are. My point behind "...without you...I'm nothing" is not the fact that I'm nothing without somebody in my life, but rather that I want somebody to share whatever life throws at me, whether it be a huge success, or a catastrophic downfall. I'm confident that my ambition will carry me to the level that I wish to achieve, but I can only hope that those I love can enjoy the ride with me.

I don't believe that success should be something that somebody should enjoy alone, and I fully intend to share whatever success I achieve in this life with those who are closest to me...whoever they may be when I get there.

-GS

What a Weekend!!

Whew!! That was intense!!

My best friend got married yesterday, and it's been a general consensus that it was one for the ages. There will be pictures posted soon, I'm sure.

Nothing new with my writing, although I did notice something interesting about myself.

I've made two best man speeches in my life, one being at my brother's wedding, and the other being last night. I tried for weeks to write the first one, only meeting frustration and never feeling as if I could never put how I felt about my brother and his new bride into words. With that in mind, I decided to stop trying to make the perfect speech, and just go with it. I had a few key points that I wanted to make, and I would just fill in the blanks, hoping to God that I didn't miss anything. I did the same thing for this speech, and I think it went over well.

I think it's interesting that I'm so meticulous with my writing, which I let hardly anybody read (despite my having this blog, ironically enough), and yet so cavalier with something that I'm putting out there for everyone to see and hear. Maybe I should take a clue from that with my writing.

On a side note...it's really windy outside.

-GS

Rejection

I feel that rejection is something that everyone must deal with in their lives. As a writer, I can say that it is a constant reminder of how insignificant I am in the world of literature...and as a man, I can say that it is a constant reminder of how insignificant I am.

Let me explain...

I recieved another agent rejection today, and by my count that would be #11 in my quest to become an author, at least for as long as I've taken this seriously. So my question is this: At what point do you just give up? I'm not saying that I'm throwing in the towel completely, because there will never be a point in my life that I stop writing. At the same time, I sometimes wonder what exactly it is that I'm writing for.

The obvious answer is that I'm writing for myself, which is completely true. I can't imagine coming to a point so low that literature can't give me relief, whether it be my own or that of the authors that I truly love. My journal is quite possibly the best therapist I've ever had, which when coupled with my dog is quite a sad statement to admit, but what the hell... At least I can say that I have two things in my life that will never turn their backs on me, and will always make me feel better. How many people can say that?

But, I've digressed...

I can't help but feel that rejection has become such an ingrained part of humanity that we fail to realize what a profound impact it can really have on us. We have been raised to accept rejection on multiple levels to the point that it has become a part of our everyday lives, controlling what we do and how we think of things.

Should I take this other job? (Well, what would our current boss think of it? Will they REJECT our wanting to move on to better things? Or will they ACCEPT the fact that this could make us a better person?)

Such an example is, on a very legitimate level, hard to make. How can I complain of rejection when the other person is simply doing what they believe to be the best for their own livelihood?

...And so goes the continuing battle between the unpublished and the literary agents that they so wish would represent them. On the one hand, I wish that I could just push a few pages into their arrogant faces and say, "Look what you're missing, you ignorant fuck!" But on the other hand, I can't help but respect the fact that they know much more about the book business than I ever will, even if I do become a published author.

So it is with life, I suppose. How can I possibly place judgement on somebody because what they want is not necassarily what I want? How can I consider myself "enlightened" if I just assume that someone is full of negativity? To make those judgments or assumptions would put me in a place just as low as those that I am trying to degrade as a justification of my frustrations, and I refuse to live my life on that level.

Until next time...

-GS

A New Beginning

I've decided to change the format of this blog a little bit. I originally thought that starting a blog and telling a few people about it would be enough to get my name out there...I honestly thought I would just let my writing speak for itself, and it would be enough for somebody to notice and say, "Hey, this guy's got talent." Oh, how naive I was.

So, with that in mind, I'm going to attempt to "Put the Pen to the Paper" (as they say) everyday, and update you, my few loyal (and very much appreciated, I might add) readers on my quest to becoming a published author. I'll try to post something new every evening about my day and how it's effected (or is it affected? Maybe I should learn that before my book is finished) my writing. I will still be posting other things that I've written, as well, but I'm hoping that this will give me some inspiration to keep writing.

Thanks for tuning in!!

-GS

There are times when, as a writer, you are asked where you get your inspiration, and in my case, why it always seems to be about heartbreak. To be honest, I often ask myself the same question, and if I have a hard time answering it for myself, then it will be impossible to do so for anybody else. I may not be able to explain why I write about the things I do, but I can tell you why I write.

Writing is like breathing; I literally could not survive without it. Every time I finish a new piece of poetry, an essay, or a chapter in one of my novels, I feel a sense of accomplishment that few things in my life can rival. I feel that without writing, there are things that would be unbearable for me. When I can put a pen to paper, there is nobody to interrupt me or tell me that I'm wrong or crazy. I can say exactly what's on my mind, and nobody can judge me. Writing is the single most liberating thing in my life.

Sometimes life gets hard, and everyone has different ways of dealing with those troubled times. Some people work out, some go to a therapist, and some people drink...I write. For me, there are few things more therapeutic than the art of writing. Watching a blank sheet of paper turn into a piece of literature can soothe even the most troubled of souls. If a person doesn't have something to turn to when things aren't going the way they want, then I consider that person to be among the most unfortunate in this world.

Writing is an art, and anybody who says different is simply delusional (or ignorant). It's true, some are better than others, but if someone can't paint the Mona Lisa, does that make them any less of an artist? Art comes from somewhere within yourself. You may never make any money off of it, and you may never get any positive recognition for what you do, but if you can create something from a blank piece of paper, a white canvas, six strings on a guitar, or anything that makes something from nothing, then you are an artist.

For those having a hard time in their life, my advice to you is that you find something that you can immerse yourself in, if only for a few minutes each and every day. It is those few minutes of relief that make life worth living, because in those precious few minutes we are able to lose and find ourselves. Creation is something that lives inside all of us, but it's also something that won't come on it's own, and needs to be awakened from time to time. Find your canvas, whatever it may be, and make something beautiful.

-GS