A real writer's journey

A writer writes – always. While this is certainly true, I have discovered a far greater truth. A writer WAITS – always. He waits for the phone to ring. He waits for his first check or contracts to arrive. And, most likely, he waits for whatever deal he worked so hard to set in place, to fall through. Given the odds, it is usually the latter. But let’s not dwell on this. Far be it to me to be such a gloomy gus. Let’s assume that whatever deal you have managed to set in place is as certain as universal health coverage getting passed in both the house and the senate. The question now becomes what the hell do I do while I am waiting?

Oh sure you could work on another one of your literary masterpieces. This is the advice that everyone gives you and sure it works all right for a while. But unless you write 24/7, you still have plenty of time to sit and worry about a deal that, while everyone tells you is just around the corner, appears to move slower than the story line in “Ulysses” by James Joyce.

You could take a tip from my cat and sleep a majority of the day. If you have no life partner or friend, this may suit you just fine. If you do have a wife, friends or even partially interested relatives, it becomes a bit more problematic. As much as it seems appealing, it will be hard to enjoy your greatly earned success from the second story window of your local sanitarium. Drugs are not an option wither and unless you can wrangle an appearance on Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.

No, I have a better idea. Go out and get yourself a used Playstation and pick up a copy of Kingdom Hearts (One or Two, it really doesn’t matter). What better way to squander ions of time personally living through Chris Vogel’s “The Writer’s Journey” with Mickey, Donald and Goofy. Oh, it may take a little while to get going, but once you do, you will be jonsing to get to the next level as if you spent the last six hours circling around a seamy neighborhood looking for your crack dealer. I suppose other games can serve you just as well, but they are a bit violent to me. In KH, you never kill, only vanquish. And there is plenty of spiritual mumbo jumbo about friends and opening your heart that, while you maybe to cynical to believe it, become a bit more comforting when uttered by the likes of Goofy or King Mickey (yes, you heard me. Apparently, Mickey Mouse is now a cross between Shakespeare’s Henry the V and Lucas’s Obi Wan Kenobi).

I personally am playing KH 2. I went right to the sequel, as it was in the discount bin. Don’t bother getting hung up on the storyline, concentrate on all the pretty colors and knocking the shit out of the heartless. I recommend a wireless remote, your phone right beside you, (so you are ready for a call if and when it comes) and a bowlful of something green. The latter is to help you assimilate into this brave new world.

I hope I helped you with your problem.