Last night Zippy and I, the temporarily childless couple, went to the Denver Botanic Gardens to hear Loudon Wainwright III and Richard Thompson play. The evening was perfect. Dinner and a bottle of wine on the lawn as we listened to two extremely gifted songwriters pour out their hearts. I laughed and I cried. Loudon was coerced into performing The Acid Song (oh happy day!) and Richard sang Walking On a Wire (a song he wrote when he and his former wife/singing partner, Linda Thompson, were splitting up; Linda sang it on their album so I’ve never heard him sing it). Wow.
Earlier in the week, R’s nurse and I were discussing the frustrations of trying to get R to drink some stuff he needed to drink before having a procedure he’d agreed to have done. R was in rare form and had dug in his heels. Big time. He complained about what he couldn’t do and complained about what he wanted to do but refused to take any action that would alleviate his complaints. It was infuriating. The nurse told me she’d worked with him on a previous hospital stay and that R kind of cracked her up. I told her she had a great attitude but that his contrariness was making me want to bang my head against a wall. She said, “Don’t do that. Then you’ll have a headache AND a pain in the ass.” That really made me laugh (I was tired!) and I felt so much better. Nurses are the best.
I’ve been disciplined about my writing goals this week and hit my word count five days in a row! I’m realizing how important it is for me to establish a routine and stick to it. And yes, I’ve had this realization before and then lost sight of it along the way so I’ll probably be back here in another few months saying, “You know? It’s really helpful when I set a word count goal and then hold myself accountable to it each and every day!” Feel free to laugh when that happens.
My other cool writing-related development is that I have a new technique for handling my inner critic. Lately I’ve really been plagued with negative thinking whispered in my ear by that horrid inner creature. I guess William Faulkner’s off drinking or having sex or something because he’s not doing a very good job watching my back right now. But that’s okay because I now have an actual voice to put to that inner critic. And that voice is………………R’s voice! That’s right, folks. Whatever nastiness starts echoing in my head (You know, Tracy, this isn’t very good. No one’s going to want to read this.), I repeat aloud in R’s rasping whisper. And then I laugh! And keep writing! I totally recommend this method for thwarting your critic. Not everyone is as fortunate as me in having a near-constant negative person in my life who complains about everything in a very unique voice (his vocal chords were damaged years ago) but I’m sure you could use your father-in-law’s voice or that nosy neighbor’s or the twit at the bank the other day. Try it, you’ll like it!
Wishing everyone a glorious weekend.
Tracy Abell 
Oh my god! Loudon Wainwright AND Richard Thompson on the same bill? That is killer. I’ve seen Loudon three times, but never heard Richard live….
Yeah for meeting your goal! I have a near constant critic, too, but unfortunately she speaks in MY voice.
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It was a phenomenal show! I wish you could’ve been there with us. Loudon in his baggy shorts, baggy shirt, green socks and old-guy shoes and Richard in his straight-leg black pants, tucked-in jazzy shirt, pointy black boots, and beret. Quite the contrast!
My critic would like to speak in my voice but I’ve messed with her head by using R’s. HA!
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Oh my god! Loudon Wainwright AND Richard Thompson on the same bill? That is killer. I’ve seen Loudon three times, but never heard Richard live….
Yeah for meeting your goal! I have a near constant critic, too, but unfortunately she speaks in MY voice.
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LOL! Love the R inner critic method 🙂 And huge congrats for hitting all your word count goals — you rock 😀
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Still using the R inner critic method and it works like a charm! Thanks for cheering me on, Robin. I’m still hitting the word count goals!!
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It’s great to hear that you’re on a roll again! LOL about that nurse. They don’t put up with crap, do they? Hmmm, come to think of it, a Nurse Ratched type would be a perfect foil for an inner critic.
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Nurse Ratched is another perfect voice to use. If I didn’t already have R’s, I’d jump on that one.
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A headache AND a pain in the ass! BRILLIANT!!! I’m cracking up!
Also brilliant, is your putting an actual voice to your inner critic! I’m going to have to try that! It must take a lot of the power out of the criticisms. Great idea!
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Yes, do try putting an actual voice to that critic. It’s so liberating! I really do start laughing listening to that crap come out in R’s voice!
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I told my mom what you said about the headache and the pain in the ass. I think it is so funny! My Grandpa is declining and when he went into the hospital last week, he was behaving like R (I think the two of them are probably a lot alike). I hope he is behaving better (my Grandpa AND R). Thanks for the laugh!
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A headache AND a pain in the ass! BRILLIANT!!! I’m cracking up!
Also brilliant, is your putting an actual voice to your inner critic! I’m going to have to try that! It must take a lot of the power out of the criticisms. Great idea!
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Oh, yeah, P.S. I HEART Richard Thompson!
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Richard Thompson is incredible, isn’t he? Wish you could’ve been there with us. I’m so glad I got to be there for his show.
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I admire your discipline! You’re doing great! I, on the other hand, have not added a word to my wip in… a long time. I don’t want to count the weeks.
I love your approach to outwitting your inner critic. The more I hear about R, the more I want to know him. You’ll have to put him on one of your stories sometime so we can all meet him.
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Are you doing the LHA 15 minute/day challenge? Maybe that would kick-start your WIP again. The longer I keep up with my schedule, the easier it is. I was really struggling when my work was so hit and miss. Give it a try and see if you can get the flow going again.
Hey, if you ever want to come visit R, I’ll be happy to pick you up and bring you along for the ride……………. 🙂
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I admire your discipline! You’re doing great! I, on the other hand, have not added a word to my wip in… a long time. I don’t want to count the weeks.
I love your approach to outwitting your inner critic. The more I hear about R, the more I want to know him. You’ll have to put him on one of your stories sometime so we can all meet him.
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It was a phenomenal show! I wish you could’ve been there with us. Loudon in his baggy shorts, baggy shirt, green socks and old-guy shoes and Richard in his straight-leg black pants, tucked-in jazzy shirt, pointy black boots, and beret. Quite the contrast!
My critic would like to speak in my voice but I’ve messed with her head by using R’s. HA!
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Are you doing the LHA 15 minute/day challenge? Maybe that would kick-start your WIP again. The longer I keep up with my schedule, the easier it is. I was really struggling when my work was so hit and miss. Give it a try and see if you can get the flow going again.
Hey, if you ever want to come visit R, I’ll be happy to pick you up and bring you along for the ride……………. 🙂
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