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Don't Write Me Off.


I’m not going to lie. Writing a blog every day is hard.

I’m finding it particularly challenging at the moment, while I'm also trying to put together a solo show. It makes me feel I have to double my daily output. This pressure is, of course, entirely self-generated. No-one’s holding a gun to my head, forcing me to write (if they were, it wouldn’t help) - but I can’t shift the notion I should be doing more than I am.

Inspiration for the blog comes in fits and starts. I’ll have a week or two when ideas come easy and I’m enjoying it, then I’ll have a dip. It’s the same with anything creative: you don’t always have the requisite imagination or enthusiasm to do it.

The hardest part is getting motivated, when all manner of distractions crave your attention (in my case, it's mostly biscuits). I remember hearing French and Saunders discuss their writing process once in a documentary. They said they spend the whole day gossiping, doing anything but work, then maybe get a few lines down in the last half an hour. I empathise with that. Every time I meet with Glyn it’s the same. I think it’s part of the process. It’s a matter of relaxing your brain, then catching yourself with an idea off-guard.

It doesn't help that today’s been bitty. My attention has been split over a number of things (including my imminent tax return); so much so, that I didn’t feel like I’d seen anything through to its conclusion. I popped into the office late-afternoon to fiddle with some stand-up, but couldn’t focus on just one thing to work on. Then just before leaving, I stumbled across a short blog I’d forgotten about that had potential which fired me up a bit. I made a list of what I’d worked on before going home, which was far more than I’d thought.

I should stop writing now, as I’m getting tired. If I give my brain cells a rest, they’ll be fighting fit for tomorrow. Or not. As Phil Collins once said: “That’s just the way it is”. He also mentioned some nonsense about Sussudio, but we’ll ignore that.

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