Note: The article Desertion of the Circus Animals contains more of my thoughts on this topic, and Raptured From A Kerouac Dream reminds me not to focus on it to the point that I neglect my spirit. But it was fun to write this out, and perhaps it will shed some light on the path of any new writers out there. Zelle donations accepted through the email address [email protected]

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Thanks for listening. Stay writing,
NP

Pablo Smog's Rules For Writing 

1. The blank page is not intimidating, it's annoying. Destroy it with any and all means at your disposal.

2. Cover the page with whatever communicative substance is handy until you forget why you started, at which point you will remember what you actually want to say, which will have invariably changed.

3. Never, ever think. If you get stuck driving donuts of thought in the parking lot of words, stop the car, kill the engine, and walk away. Come back later. The muse will wait.

4. There is no such thing as bad writing that is true. Better monosyllabic attempts to mine for gold than eloquent language employed for dishonest or manipulative purposes. The muse can easily see through such disingenuous displays. Indulge in them, and she will cheat on you.

5. Be conscious of the moments you step on the third rail of overwritten slop. It's an important boundary to be aware of. Whether it's William Blake or Dee Dee Ramone, acquire an appreciation for the perfectly underwritten line.

"You never know what is enough
until you know what is
more than enough."
William Blake

6. Embrace the joy of editing. An octopus with 10 arms is an aberrant extravagance.

7. You are your only audience. If you're not writing to yourself and YOURSELF ALONE, if your relationship with your writing hasn't begun and ended before another human being is even aware anything has been written, your words will be joyless, patronizing, and pedantic.

8. Make yourself laugh as constantly as possible.

9. Like singing and playing music, writing is an act of surfing. You're not corralling horses. Words are neither your subjects nor your master; they're your waves. Go dancing with them.

10. You will write a lot of garbage. The question isn't whether or not what you have written is garbage, the question is, "did you have fun while you were writing it?" Enjoying yourself while writing is the main thing. If it's garbage, you can always throw it away later.

11. Writer's block is a gift. It means you get to stop. Enjoy it while you can.