Brilliant as always. I laughed thinking about Angela Merkel's mean boeuf bourgignon.
As an aside, have you looked into the #freewrite stuff on here at all? They're having a contest and I'm thinking of entering. Not positive yet, though. I think it's the sort of thing you'd excel at, if you're able to get yourself to write in only 5 minute increments. Here's the link to the contest rules.
I've seen a LOT of freewrites come past.... I hesitate to say, but if I whisper it quickly, I have to say, if it takes such a random prompt to write anything, what are we all doing here? Is this writing school? But okay, it's the socialising initiative what makes Steemit great.
My excuses are clear: I don't do selfies (also not with a paper bag on my head) and I don't have 50 days left (see count down). I had my stint at a writing challenge with the fifty-word competition (or non-competition, with nothing but an honorable mention to be won) and that took me at least 20 minutes, so I don't think I could get much done to my satisfaction in just 5 mins. What's with the rush, anyway? 5 min reads, ok, I get the point of sale on that one. But a 5 min write tends to make for an unsatisfying 5 minute read.
Can't wait to see you prove me entirely wrong. (I'm probably too long out of school to be a good sport in these random challenges).
Well, personally, I've had a hard time keeping up with writing every day (though the long hiatus had more to do with life stuff--issues at work, a sudden unexpected health thing, and my grandma's passing in quick succession, with that vacation stuck in the middle of it). The one freewrite prompt I ever responded to got me writing fiction for the first time (in adulthood), and it went better than I had expected, though it did take a bit longer than five minutes, and I suspect I'd cheat like that just about every time. But hey, who's checking anyway?
But yes, part of it is the social aspect. Always good to get to know a few more interesting people here, lest your writing go disappear into the abyss without any readers at all, and some of the people involved in that have interesting things to say. My main hesitation with entering this is that I don't want to post a bunch of low quality nonsense to my page out of desperation to keep up with the contest and dilute the hard work I actually have put in, but maybe I'm taking things too seriously.
Why don't you have 50 days left? Is the world exploding? Oh dear...
No, no, no, don't ever post low-quality nonsense! But I challenge you to (you couldn't even if it paid you out in whale-loads).
Have you not heard about my due date? I am leaving on 31 st May. (As decided from January). My Musings are couning down....
What! Why are you leaving? Why would you do such a thing?? You would abandon us, your loyal fans? I must insist that you rethink this.
Dear fan, I'm going to miss our missed opportunity.
It's not for me to rethink. The date is part of the experiment. Or this becomes a Limbo one cannot write oneself back out of again. Must keep Dante in mind on this rough terrain where the soul roams naked.
Something has to happen that makes it Really worth our while to make this a point of presence (see Musing 24).
It is not doable to have this place as your main point of presence unless your life is endorsed by it. Fame fades, fortune feeds.
For the first time in my life I realise I will never write again after 31st unless I get paid enough to persuade me. After 20 years or more of Long-Distance sociala life I cannot buy into that aspect of Steemit anymore. It makes the lonely feel a hell of a lot lonelier (especially when they never feel lonely when alone).
Your loving fan.
Does it need to be a main point of presence? What if it was a once or twice a week thing--just a supplement?
It would be an unbearable shame if you never wrote again. Talent like this shouldn't go to waste. Unless it's not very fulfilling to you emotionally, which I suppose I couldn't argue with...
That is precisely the question. I touch upon this also in the previous reply.
It is, indeed not emotionally fulfilling - but I mean this in a positive way (not a reason to quit); at 50 emotions are pretty much put to one side in most things. Or so it was my aim (in my spiritual pursuits, which value feeling, imagination, inspiration and intuition more). I write anyway, always have, just like you; and I've got used to not being read. When I know I have to be read (letter, official report) I feel ueber responsible about how others read to the point that it prevents me probably from ever publishing anything for real.... So is this only meaningless scribbling? Silliness, like you also wonder, a part of aiming for something more meaningful but then how...? Or what is it exactly?
I started off not taking this platform seriously as a place to be read, and so a safe place to post things that had to be said but never to the people who couldn't hear. It was a problem for me when one or two turned out to be reading me fairly thoroughly (even if they did very little with it - which is just fine by me). But the others started reading me critically, which is also fine, but I could tell they were pretty clueless as to where I was really coming from. This leaves one (the eternal teacher and communicator) in a tricky place regards who to write for and whether to cater to an audience at all. After all, just being me is not really what Steemit is about (go start your own blog!). It is predominantly a social platform (even if they say it isn't). Then I have to be honest and say, it's not really my kind of party. Can we slip in some other records, invite some other guests? I don't know. There are some issues that arise indicating it is fairly impossible. I am, of course, extremely tempted to see what can happen now you're back.
In any case I have to check in on my account if I power down/shut down or if I stay humming in the background I am likely to take stock after the 6 months of no-activity have passed. (6 Dec).