Finish what you start – Julian Summerhayes

“Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.”
― Mark Twain

So, I’m back writing to my blog.

“And”, you say.

No, I see that.

What possible difference does it make?

None at all.

I’ve kept writing though — mostly on Tumblr and I’ve enjoyed the experience. Before that it was Medium, which again I enjoyed but I never felt that my writing was good enough or particularly well suited to the platform.

And that’s all that matters.

As you know if you’ve been following my last few posts on Tumblr, I’m exploring the (to me at least) profound question as to why I’ve fallen prey to the disappointment of never finishing what I start. Or as I’ve described it, pulling the pin on almost every project or scheme I’ve ever started. I’m nowhere near a place where I can distil an answer or not one worth sharing, but I do know that too often I’ve bitten off more than I could chew that or I’ve had too many things on the go which has been a big fat distraction. I think that’s why I’m trying now in my writing to focus once again on reading and writing poetry if only because I enjoy it probably more than any other thing. It’s not that I’m holding myself out as anything — those days are long gone — but I know when I find a poet I like, they draw me in to the point where I feel inhabited and suffused with their words as if I am them or at least I’ve a better than a vague clue what they’re trying to say with their, at times, oblique words and prose.

Like I say, though, it’s early days on the investigation front but for now, adopting the above rubric wouldn’t be a bad place to start; namely, never starting something that you can’t or don’t want to finish. Of course, it’s a moot point when something is finally done, over or complete but certainly as regards a book there will always be an end if only because you’ve drawn the story to a sensible conclusion, there are no more poems to share or you can’t take things any further.

Right now, I’m battling with the dogs who are play-fighting. It’s excruciating listening to Eddie’s high-pitch whine but give it another hour or so and I’ll be out and about walking them around the local park which, for now, given the biblical rain we’ve had over the last 48 hours is the most sensible place to go. Other than that, I’m not sure what else we’ve got planned today. I’ve got some law work to attend to for a couple of friends (employment law and estate administration) but I hope it won’t take up the whole day.

Anyhow, have a good one.