Writers Un-Blocked

Why Write?

It must seem random, sudden and perhaps a little overwhelming to read whatever happens to pop in my mind each day.  And I suppose, on some level, it could be a bit uncomfortable too: having access to the very thoughts that are passing through my brain each morning as I sip my coffee.

It is as though I have a URL attached to my fingertips. This is what is on my mind.com.  I never intended to set out on some public pilgrimage toward enlightenment. Sorry.  This is neither a journal nor a soapbox, though I admit there are certain elements that may feel ultra personal or even a little preachy at times. Whatever. It’s just me. 

I am a person.  Like you, I go through each day and face a certain number of obligations and responsibilities.  I encounter people I have never met and won’t ever see again on a daily basis.  I think that makes my life kind of interesting, if only in some small way.

Over the years, I have developed certain perspectives that I’ve only recently decided to pontificate in some sort of mass level. 

I’d like to think that I am contributing something greater to society than my own petty details of my existence here on earth.  Perhaps even inspire other people who might also find themselves faced with similar thoughts, fears and dreams. 

Looking back at the writings that have poured out of me these past couple weeks, I realize just how much I needed this.  And based upon certain comments I have received from close friends as well as total strangers/neighbors in cyberspace, it has become apparent that other people needed something from it too.  Different reasons for different people, but reasons all the same. And that, is one of the most gratifying experiences I have ever had. 

Writing is a natural and necessary part of my existence.  It has been my oldest and most loyal friend.

My personal journals are not what I consider to be great examples of literary accomplishments: rather, entire volumes of hand-written rants more or less.  A journal is where I go to flesh out the various phases I am in. They portray an image of severe highs, lows and the blah-between. This form of writing has been necessary for my overall sanity and I don’t really know what else to say about it other than that.

When I sat down and created this blog a few weeks ago, it was my intention to release something that had been brewing for about thirty years: my point of view.  What began as a play on words, illustrating a bit of a metaphor of Serving Time behind a bar, grew to encompass so much more; everything from dating, dreaming, working, writing, traveling, friendships, money matters, diseases, morals, traditions and so on, to just a plain old cocktail recipe. 

It is a release. It is my way of gently nudging myself in the direction that feels true.  And it is really fun to share it with you.

There are so many things I would love to be doing for a living.  I will never forget the moment in college, already halfway through my junior year, when I decided to change my major to Screenwriting.  It was a leap.  And I knew I had a lot of catching up to do.  I spent the next year and a half completely absorbed. It felt right to write again.

And then, my heart imploded, and a number of personal obstacles zapped the creative energy I had so carefully stowed away.  And in my most heartbroken moments, the poetry I wrote stung the pages, as well as my bloodshot eyes. The work was wrenching and survivalists in nature. Then one day, the creative flow was blocked. 

Poetry stopped. Creative writing stopped. Screenwriting was but a distant memory. And the only safe haven for my thoughts were within the blank pages of my journal. But journaling is solely for my own selfish release.  It is not a form of self-expression that I wish to share. And although I do not consider this blog to be at all similar to a dear diary, I imagine that you are, oddly enough, actually getting to know me pretty well. 

Behind Bars is for me, a bit of a catalyst of my entire love affair with the written word. It is my way of looking in the mirror and reminding myself that I am serving my dreams by serving others. But more than that, it is also a metaphor for my life: the journey of a dreamer, a wanderer and writer un-blocked. 

Today:

Chocolate Tini

1 1/2 oz Vodka

1 oz Godiva Chocolate Liquer 

Splash of Cream

Shake and strain into a martini glass

Swirl Chocolate syrup in glass to garnish