Writing Kept Me From Writing
Those of you who check in on this column on a
daily basis noticed that today's edition was
terribly tardy. In fact, as I write this, I should
technically call it "yesterday's edition." Most
rational people would just write the day off (no
pun intended) and skip it, rather than stay up so
late to compose an article. However, I made a
promise to myself to write something every day of
this year, so until that vow becomes veritably
impossible to keep, I'll stick to it.
Besides, what kept me from writing was writing.
The stated goal of this daily column is to
jumpstart my creativity and generate some material,
and that's exactly what I was doing all day. Facing
a Tuesday deadline for a writing assignment, I
warmed up the warp drive and jumped in the time
machine to explore strange new worlds.
I met Neil R. Jones' character Professor
Jameson, in one of whose stories the term
"astronaut" was first used in science fiction. I
journeyed to the center of the earth with Pat Boone
and James Mason, courtesy of Jules Verne. I meted
out instant justice with comic book superhero Judge
Dredd on the streets of Mega-City One. I "just
imagined" Maureen O'Sullivan in a science fiction
musical—yes, you read that right, a science
fiction musical. And I helped the astronauts
onboard the Discovery resuscitate and rehabilitate
the HAL 9000 in the year 2010.
What job could be more ideal for a writer with a
passion for science fiction and a head full of
trivial knowledge than writing science fiction
trivia questions? That's exactly what I spent my
Monday doing. I would have posted this article
sooner, but I was off exploring other worlds, other
times, other dimensions.
Now you can say, "My friend/brother/son went to
Jupiter, and all I got was this lousy article."
[Editor's Note: You can see
my sci fi trivia in action on the NTN Network in
sports bars and restaurants across America. My
questions appear in "The Sci-Files" game that plays
every week at 8:00 p.m. Pacific. Check the NTN site
for locations
and game
times in other time
zones.]
Development note: I've
noticed that this site doesn't look like it should
in Netscape Navigator. Rather than waste time
jury-rigging it to look right in a
soon-to-be-obsolete browser, I'll just add the
cliché "This site best viewed with Internet
Explorer."
©2003 Michael
Strickland ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED
|
|
What is "The Daily Strick"?
I have long called
myself a writer, but too often I don't do
what a writer must do daily: write. So
you, dear reader, are the beneficiary of
my resolution to make a positive change in
at least one area of my life. Every single
day of this new year, I will write
something, anything, and post it here. It
is my intention to use this daily exercise
to jump-start my too-long-dormant creative
energies, and perhaps generate some
worthwhile material this year. Hopefully
you will find at least an occasional
amusement or insight in my daily
musings.
Today's
Column
Send
a Comment
Previously...
3/9:
King
Arthur
3/8:
The
Women are Smarter
3/7:
Salt
on Old Wounds
3/6:
3/3/03,
3:33 p.m.
3/5:
Beer
Day
3/4:
Pulling
the Trigger
3/3:
Make
'Em Laugh
3/2:
Whither
Iraq?
3/1:
Strickland
Cellars
Previous months in
The
Archive
Like what you've
read?
Find more good reading on
(and support future Daily Stricks!)
|
|
