Last minute panic

The amount of author's quotations on procrastination could ironically fill a rather large book.

I made this realisation while searching for a witty and intelligent opening to this blog. In the absence of inspiration I settled, as I quite often do, on the teachings of Bill Watterson.

"Creativity can't be turned on and off like a faucet, I need to be in the right mood."
"What mood is that?"
"Last minute panic."

Without getting too deep into the psychology behind unloading the contents of my brain in print, I think it's safe to say I've put it off for far too long. A childhood immersed in the finest pop culture the eighties had to offer, long nights of nerd-drenched role-playing and meager dabblings in fiction, via play-by-email or aborted comic book projects, had all given me the taste - but the will and determination was sadly absent.

It became apparent through the years that lunacy-fueled inspiration is only a small part of what makes a good writer. Graced with this knowledge I applied a modicum of sense and set out to develop 'The Craft', taking an Open University course to learn the mysterious alchemy and science involved. It was a brutal first insight and while I feel I achieved some good things, it helped me develop more good excuses to leave the keyboard.

In a way, it's quite a satisfying revelation. Does my professional approach to putting things off arm me with the tools I need to be a great writer?

From my first foray into literature - a frantically scribbled school competition entry at the tender age of ten (result - "It's brilliant, but too late."), I've dodged, excused and wormed my way out of having a serious stab at this literary nonsense. I frequently allowed myself to get in the way, blaming everything but me.

Well, me, enough is quite frankly enough.

I have a few folks to blame for this sudden urge to write again, all of whom shall be named, shamed and rightfully rewarded as this blog progresses. The meat of that progress will be practice. Daily insights, nonsense, and unadulterated word-count, baby. Just a selfish record of my efforts to simply sit down and touch the keyboard.
Read, comment, castigate or cajole me if you must.

So, here it begins. No pretensions, no forethought, just a daily stream of practice, insights and the occasional picture of a cat doing something hilarious.