LJ Idol Week 7: No True Scotsman

Thinking about Thinking about Writing

I was a dog walker and pet sitter for five years. I'm realizing that maybe I like dogs more than people. Dogs are honest and people, well we tend to be constantly blind to the dichotomy between our own words and actions.

I’m hanging out with a coworker who is telling me about a problem between two of our other coworkers. “Yeah, but I'm going to stay out of it,” he says.

I don't point out the flawed logic that his talking to me about it isn't “staying out of it.”

He moves on to talking about his new girlfriend. “I want to be here for you but I should be writing,” I think to myself. But really, I guess I want the distraction or I wouldn’t have invited him in. I had all weekend to work on a submission for the online writing competition I signed up for last month and here it was hours before the deadline and I had nothing written.

We listen to epic guitar solos and watch retro horror movie trailers. We make a list of our favorite fictional characters with mullets.

I mention out loud feeling like I’m self-sabotaging myself by waiting until last minute to write something. He tells me about ripping up his own art work and taking canvases out to dumpsters. I tell him I have nothing to rip up.

He says to write about that, about thinking about something to write about.

“No,” I say. “That would be called a “meta post” and you’re not supposed to do that.”