World of Wednesday: The World and Its Denizens

As anyone who knows me will tell you, my favorite thing to do in my free time is play World of Warcraft. It is immersive, complex, and incredibly fun. I have spent hour upon hour delving the depths of forsaken crypts in search of relics of untold power. I have crossed blades with creatures imaginable only in the waking dreams of twisted souls. Through my adventures, I have gained allies, friends, and the support of the kingdom for which I fight. Most importantly, I have gained a valuable way to spend time with family that we all can enjoy without living near one another.

I have played with my brother in San Fransisco, my parents in Washington State, my cousin in Los Angeles, and friends in Utah and Washington D.C., and those are just the people I play with that I knew before I started playing the game. Since then, some of my closest friends in the real world are people that I met in the game world. When I went through one of the most difficult trials of my life, when I was at my loneliest, the bulk of my emotional support rested on shoulders of two very good friends that I have never seen or spoken to outside of the game.

Now, to some, this may stand as a testament of the dangers of Massive Multiplayer Online Games. The idea that instead of seeking friends in the real world to comfort and fill the void of loneliness, someone would use the computer generated world and its denizens to fulfill basic human needs could be construed as anti-social. Indeed, on my weaker days, I questioned the validity of my friendships with these "Internet people". However, the notion that grounded me, made me able to accept them as true friends, just as they had done for me, was the reality that they are people too. Hidden behind the guise of elves and dwarves, there were real people with real fears, hopes, loves, and dreams. What's more, we shared something in common. We loved the game, and that is a very important thing. Common ground, shared experience, these things make for better ways to relate and understand the trials someone is going through. So, in a sense, I could not have chosen more wisely who to trust with my troubles. These friends understood me in a realm most others would scoff at. They cared (and still do) about my well being and the well being of those that I love. That was a tremendous gift.

I can hear the naysayers now, baffling at how someone could allow himself to fall so far out of touch with reality. That danger is real. I have seen it firsthand, that is another experience the game has given me. Luckily for me, my experience in the game is enriched by those I play with, but grounded in the reality of the family I have outside of it. My wife plays with me. She is a good player. She supports my hobby in the only way she knows how, by joining me. I try and do the same for her. I feel glad that I can exist in two worlds at the same time and manage to do both well. I will never sacrifice the real world for the game world, but I will happily pass the time there so long as I have good friends to do it with.

I love you. I will write to you tomorrow.

Next Week: Player Versus Player

Triumphing Over Writer's Block: Writer's Exhaustion

So, it has been a week since I posted. That is kind of lame, I am well aware, but it illustrates an interesting point.

One of the most difficult aspects of writing regularly is the tendency to get worn out. Now, I am not using that as my excuse for failing write the posts I said I would write. My reason for not writing would most accurately be identified as laziness. Its sad, but true. However, for the purpose of this post, let us assume that I have suffered from writer's exhaustion.

How does one combat writer's exhaustion? What tools exist in the toolbox that would aid us in writing even when it seems inconvenient? Obviously, I need as much help with this as anyone.

Let's break down what writer's exhaustion is, first. So, writer's exhaustion is strikingly similar to writer's block in that it acts as a sort of buffer keeping a writer from doing what he or she does. Where writer's exhaustion differs from writer's block (in my approximation) is that writer's exhaustion does not stem from a lack of ideas or material to pull from. Ideas may be constantly taunting you from behind the corners of your brain, some might beg you to be written down, but they remain off the page and uncomfortably crammed inside your cranium.

So, what do we do?

If I was forced to guess (and I am an excellent guesser), I would wager that the best method of conquering writer's exhaustion would be to A.) force yourself to sit down and write until the passion overtakes, and B.) proceed with part A and write about something that interests you whether or not what you are writing accomplishes the goal you have set for yourself about what you are writing.

In short, get the creative juices flowing onto a page or screen. It is important to note that these juices must flow onto the page. (Yes, I am aware of the bodily humor inherent in my metaphor.) The importance of getting ideas on paper cannot be stated enough. I find myself awake at night crafting scenes from a story I have in my mind, ever painstaking detail planned, every leaf of every fictitious tree imagined, yet; these ideas never see the light of day. They never reach paper. They never reach an audience. I take full responsibility for that. However, this all could be avoided by establishing the habits that not only combat writer's block and exhaustion, but make you a more fluent writer.

As I said, this is one of my greatest struggles as a writer. So, my method of overcoming writer's exhaustion may ring false with some of you. I welcome any insights you might offer, any tools that you believe would aid our collective toolbox. I know I would benefit from your help.

I love you. I will write to you tomorrow.

Next Week: Blog Poaching.

Triumphing Over Writer's Block: Challenge

They say (and I'm not certain who "they" are, to be honest), that the best way to conquer the torment known as writer's block is to write. With that said, you might say that this blog in its entirety is a way for me to overcome writer's block.

However, because of my desire to write for a living, I will attempt to find concrete methods of sifting through inane thoughts and discovering ways to express clear, concise ideas.

It is going to be a trial. I am still trying to get a grasp on writer's block, so; this little experiment will serve to aid you in finding that special story idea you've been looking for as well as aid me in finding the courage to start my work and put it out there for criticism.

So, I challenge you to write down the first thought that pops in to your head right... now. Use that idea and write a paragraph story or poem and post it in the comments. No one reads this but you and my mother, so no one will judge you but my mother. She is really nice, though. It doesn't need to be Shakespeare, it just needs to be you.

I love you. I will write to you tomorrow.

Spiritual Sunday: Yessesse Sanaron

One of my favorite movies of all time is Lord of the Rings. I tend to lump the trilogy into a single film due to the fact that it is a single story. I remember watching The Fellowship of the Ring in the theater. I entered the dark auditorium skeptical. You see, I fancied myself a wizened and opinionated conesuir of fantasy stories. As many do after entering a room through the wrong door, I assumed that the door from which I entered was the front door. Little did I know that as I sat in my seat that I was about to partake of the fantasy epic that spawned so many of the fantasy stories I ignorantly held above it.

I was immediately drawn in by the sprawling beauty of Middle Earth as envisioned by Peter Jackson and his crew. The characters were as rich in detail and appeal as the scenery they trod purposefully through. Needless to say, I had a lot of reading ahead of me. The Lord of the Rings must be read before the next film debuted.

That was my introduction to J.R.R. Tolkien. From then on, my life has always been influenced by his writing and beliefs. The more I read, the more captivated I became. Interestingly, it was in The Silmarillion that I found the most joy.

Usually regarded as a wonderful source book for the later written stories, The Silmarillion illustrated the creation of Middle Earth, its inhabitants, and the course of the world that so many have come to appreciate. I enveloped myself in tales of the Chorus of the Ainur, the Valar, Melkor's betrayal, and the creation of the Silmarils.

History upon history poured out before me, each tale rich with myth. From Turin to Glorfindel and the Balrog, I was lost to the beauty that Tolkien created. It would take me days to explore each tale and express exactly why each one carried with it significance. I won't bore you.

My point is, this often overlooked book is worth a read to anyone who has ever imagined a world.

In creating his masterwork, Tolkien furthered my belief in the opportunity man has to become like God. I feel the excitement in my veins as I explore this imaginary world. I feel the images flow through my mind as I realize the creation of the world I have imagined. In this small way, I fulfill my role as a son of God. I conceive. I write. I create.

I love you. I will write to you tomorrow.

Sappy and Sentimental: Waiting for a Train

I have been thinking a lot lately about the reasons why I do the things I do. My reasons aren't always sound. The end result isn't always what I expect or desire. The important part of my reasoning is usually you.

It is kind of like the anecdote in Inception, "You're waiting for a train..."

After last week, I have had to do more soul searching than I am accustomed to. Luckily, the answers I discovered allowed me to take positive steps forward, fulfill commitments, and better myself as a husband.

It bothers me when we sit in silence, both thinking at each other without saying anything. We have come through so much. Sometimes it makes us feel weaker, but as light glares across our faces we recognize that we have become stronger, more tolerant, than we were before.

It doesn't matter where we're going, because we'll be together.

I love you. I will write to you tomorrow.

Fitness and Fatness: The Biggest Winner!!

It is Friday, that means I am talking about fitness.

Recently, Sourire and I were on vacation in California. We like to stay fit, so while we in the Los Angeles area we stopped into a local fitness club and coffee shoppe. We were just sitting down with piping hot hot cocoa when we spotted out of the corner of our collective eyes a suspiciously familiar face.

So, I says to Sourire, "That woman over there, she look familiar to you?"

To that, Sourire responded, "En effet, elle semble familier, mon ami." What?! She's french!

Without another word, I stood up, approached the woman and invited her to enjoy a coffee or something. She seemed a little taken aback at my forwardness, but as I was well aware of her strong nature due to many hours of exposure, I knew she would appreciate it.

So, Alison Sweeney, host of THE BIGGEST LOSER quietly accepts!

We sat together, enjoying the company of one another, both struggling to understand the things my beautiful wife was saying. (I haven't picked up as much french as I would have liked.)

By the end of our second round of acai berry infused Snapple white teas, we were all laughing lightheartedly.

Then Alison drops the bombshell. She turns to me, looks me square in the eye and says, "David, you know, you are one enormous fella. I think you should join us on the next season of The Biggest Loser!"

All I had to do was gaze into the deep azure orbs of Sourire's eyes to realize she had orchestrated this entire event.

Obviously, I accepted. So, hopefully you will all be seeing me soon on the television set! I thought this would be a fantastic way to kick off the Fitness and Fatness section of the B-Log.

I just feel so blessed. Thanks Alison! Thanks Sourire!

I love you. I will write to you tomorrow.