Whiskey and Writing

 I’m doing more these days, or at least trying to.  I’m trying to finish up some classes, and I started some rewrites on a couple of novels.  It’s been fun, because I’m trying to have more fun.  Instead of trying to write the perfect thing, I’m trying to enjoy what I’m doing. There’s too much noise, and there’s something to realizing that while maybe you don’t have a perfect plan, your characters do.  There’s something to sort of “shifting the blame” onto your characters instead of keeping it to yourself. A lot of writing is supposed to be therapeutic, or something for you to wrestle some things out.  You can’t do that if everything is “perfect.”  Sometimes the grit, and the fight, and the imperfections are what make it perfect. 

 I’ve spent a lot of time working on books recently.  I’m doing two more and I think I might call it quits after that but we’ll see.  I did two already, and I’m not sure how much more I have in me.  But I do like to work on them when I’ve been drinking whiskey.  I dunno why that is.  I usually put on some jazz, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, and I’ve been playing BB King quite a bit these days too.  BB King obviously isn’t jazz, but he’s probably my favorite musician, and I think a little booze and the right music will give you the right mood for a book.  I’m not talking about being so drunk you can’t see straight, but a couple of shots just seem to do the trick.  I’ve been drinking several different kinds Jack Daniels, Leadslingers, Jameson, and Johnnie Walker.  I know we all have different backgrounds, different things we want to do in life, but I think the right drink and the right music will give your whatever it is you’re working on...