Life's Choices

For him far too many variables

Eyes to the left, eyes to the right

Incoming from both sides

Hands sweaty, both jitters and fright

Why'd choose this path, he asks no one

Oh for a Google map with no guarantee anyways

To plod on once commitment's forgone

A destination imagined, dreamt of, forever and always

Thing is, you ain't driving all lonely

Whistling a tune when the conversations go lonely

Diversions, distractions, stoppages all plenty

Threatening to stray, to paltry, to forgo sanity

A full U-turn beckons up ahead

A change, a route unchartered on offer

A funny bone tickled, a guffaw emitted

A choice neither asked nor preferred

Baggage, passengers accidental & planned aplenty

All  that start-overs require a severe discard

To not end making the move an insanity

Made at speeds of pure disregard

So he ignores the pass

And presses ahead unerring

Whatever comes, what life hands he'll accepts

With a smile, a song, strong hope unending

Whatever, wherever goes, he quietly reciprocate

There's wonderment to discover, to receive, to appreciate.

Painting of U-Turn by Jessalin Beutler | Saatchi Art 

Self Inflicted Fallacies

Finally, its come to the fore.

There was really no one to blame but us.

Not the politicians we elevated to the status of demi gods.

Not our yesteryears fuedal lords, whose existence these days are ceremonial at best.

Nor was it the colonial British we pretended to be glad to be rid off, and yet we continue till today to look upon with awe and reverence.

It was just us all the while.

Us and our own complexities.

We've been propping all these crutches on ourselves.

Why?

And why do we still fearful of independence to this day?

The Calming of Nerves aka About Time

And Irving Wallace’s “The writing of one novel” makes it two. The first, and still favourite, being Stephen King’s excellent On Writing.

A pipe smoking author: who wouldn't want to read this?

Both are memoirs and how to books with King edging Wallace in sheer entertainment for me.
Wallace’s “The writing of one novel” is a darn great read for me as it provides the perfect basis for a style of writing which I am familiar; with researched materials being the starting block.

“The writing of one novel” is about the pipe smoking American author’s journey – literal as well as figurative – in writing a fictionalised Nobel Prize winner.

Starting from the sparking of an idea – if I am not mistaken, it was initially for a magazine article – to the digging of details through extensive research including interviews (imagine that!), his outlining of the storyline and characters, the first draft review process, publishing and the controversies that follow.

Is “The Prize” - the novel’s title - a worthy read? I do not know as I have not read it. It occupies a genre which I must admit to being less than enthusiastic to pick up the book and start flipping.

Both Wallace and King are strong proponents of the adage that writers must be voracious readers.

I’ve been stocking my reading materials (heh) and never getting round to doing the tough bit of, urm, reading them.

I keep telling myself that to finally write that novel I’ve always dream of, I need to read, and read a lot. And start writing even as the reading goes on.

By God, I will start the last mentioned act as I have been putting this off for a long, long time. Ideas ready; initial research's done, draft materials in place; so what’s stopping me?

Nerves.

And, oh, I need to find myself a muse. Seems to work best with one around.