slumming it

and here i was, getting good and comfortable in my cramped, humble, but always well-lit abode down a remote and unheard of lane called sweet whisper dreams, when i happened to read something that i already knew to be true deep down in my heart of hearts, in my soul of souls, but was avoiding like a plate of okra and haggis.

i had slipped off my shoes and curled up on the sofa with a blanket and a cup of steamy tea intending to relax and lose myself in a novel (something by joyce carol oates or ian mcewan) or the new book about the civil war, midnight rising by tony horwitz, but first i decided to open my laptop and check out what was happening in cyberspace. i read a new post by a charming brit—a darling of mine—who, in his post, reminded his readers of the harshness of the world in which we creative writing types of bloggers live—creative writing being that warehouse of stuff including the almost infinite forms of fiction, non-fiction, personal essay, poetry, screenwriting, playwriting, etc.

the truth can be cruel, but i am i firm believer in facing the truth, in facing reality head on when it makes itself obvious. therefore, i carefully studied his honest and well-crafted sentences and tried to be brave and tough—which for some, possibly genetic, reason i pretty much am—and not get too many knots in my neck and stomach. turns out there are many people who think you and i, fellow bloggers, are slumming it in our crummy little blog homes because we do not reside in an expensive landscape-company-tended, exotic-tree-filled, rolling-perfection-of-a-golf-course-lawn mcmansion called the novel.

hot dog, typing that last sentence felt good.

to those who think a blog filled with creative writing is not, in fact, "real writing"and who say when's your book gonna be finished? and you must be spending your time here in blogville just "killing time" until your [nonexistent] novel is done (we've all heard those comments) i say, loud and clear, excuse me people, i am hardly killing time but reviving it, resuscitating it, breathing life into it with my diligently sought-after words. frankly i don't give a damn what other people think because i enjoy what i do in my blog. i want to write, need to write, as much as i can; i want to write what i want to write, and i want to write what i enjoy writing while i still have breath left in me. above all, my motto is a girl just wants to have fun and that's exactly what i'm having right here, and i must say i am tickled to be surrounded by like-minded folks who are also really into slumming it.

that, too, felt awfully, awfully good.