Colored pegs

Body Count: 144 words

Started the opening graphs last night. I put away my notes and scraps and shot some words onto the screen. Mostly spelled right. A plus.

I know this is how and where I want to begin it, but I admit I was let down just a bit. I expected the first words to be a thunderclap of Zeusian proportions. Where's the almighty choir? Where's the ecstatic cackle in my throat as I scream into the unknown, painting images with words and making the first character appear, running for her life. I expected something seismic, and now that I didn't feel it I wonder if those were the right words. It's like that game with the colored pegs and the rows. You put different pegs in the holes and the opponent (who has a different set of colored pegs hidden in secret) tells you cryptically that you have either the right colors out there and/or the right colors in the right spots and/or the wrong ones out there altogether.

A more criminal analogy: I'm picking a lock, I can feel the tumblers sorta twist with my bent wire, but they aren't all clicking into place. There's no groove there, no magical 'a-ha' where I feel like I'm on the right track. I have the pegs out and they're all jumbled up.

Well, hey, this is the first draft, the draft Anne Lamott called the "write down" draft, as in "write it down, and not care about what it is." Gentlemen, prepare to enter the breach.

Second qualm: Now that I have start, I have the scary-vague notion about knowing where to go, but not knowing how to get there gracefully. Imagine having to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night at a friend's house. You sorta know where the bathroom is, but you're all turned around and you have to go and you don't want to make the wrong turn, being forced to whiz in the potted ficus in the corner.

Okay, so I'm not ready to urinate on plant life, but I'm just queasy about trying to write and not looking like a best seller on the first try. Must not panic. Must write.

Minor music note: The new Radiohead is pretty darn nifty. It's not "OK Computer," but it's more accessible than "Kid A" and "Amnesiac." It's more textured, more fierce than "Kid A" and "Amnesiac," and it makes an ideal soundtrack to anyone making a film or writing a novel about the collapse of civilization. Plus, I picked up my copy for free in exchange for helping a friend pick up some furniture.

Minor TV Justice note: My wife is ironing her clothes for work in the other room. She mentioned Court TV (a cable channel dedicated to all things legal) is going to have a special all about the Laci Peterson case. Remember, the case hasn't gone to trial yet, and as a result, a jury has not been seated. Meanwhile, this tempest of news and speculation and "expert" talking heads going non-stop on American cable news networks has to be just poisoning the jury pool. Mark my words: One day, some accused felon is going to walk free due to some crafty lawyer making the defense that his/her client can't get a fair trial anywhere because of the intense media spotlight.

Today's Word: Yoga

From One Word

The ability to bend the body and mind in ways to show you, yes you, don't have to be so damn rigid. A little focus, a little breathing and you can achieve strength and tone without being a gym bunny, without sticking a finger down your throat.