We had a semi-busy weekend, on Saturday we went to see Body Worlds 2 at the Science Centre. The RRBF loved every minute of it; he couldn’t get enough. I was not so taken with the exhibit because I couldn’t get over the fact that the specimens, if you could call them that, were once living, breathing people. There were even some parts I just couldn’t look at all, but I am glad we went, if only to get to hold a human brain in your hands. I mean, when do you get to do that?
We got home around 3 PM and I collapsed on the couch. My sinuses were so sore from the stupid disease that I passed out and was in bed by about 9.30 PM. So much for going to a poetry reading with Kate.
Then on Sunday we drove up to Peterborough to see my aunt and uncle so he could bottle up the giant jug of wine our neighbours gave him. We now have over twenty bottles of homemade wine that’ll probably last the entire year because I don’t drink it.
Then I had class last night. They critiqued another one of my stories, which is always good, but so hard to sit through. It’s funny how I can be so objective for someone else’s work, knowing that my comments are genuine in their intentions to make the piece of writing better, but I can’t do that with my own work. I’m mortified when people talk about my writing. I’m frightened to death of what people think. I’m convinced it’s a piece of crap and why am I even bothering. I’m disappointed that my imagination doesn’t work better. I’m angry that everything I write comes out like one big, giant cliche. The list of self-doubt goes on until I can’t stand it anymore and I’m sitting there in class thinking, “Why am I doing this to myself? I’ll never be a writer.”
In the end, it sort of feels like a boxing ring: left hook comes from classmate A, “show don’t tell”; ragdoll puts up a good block; the bout continues when classmate b throws combination punch, a left jab, straight right, left hook, “it feels like you’re including everything, you need to make some decisions about the story so it reads better”; ragdoll feints, throws a limp uppercut, and then dances back towards her corner; classmate c punches into the ring and weaves around, making it incredibly hard to catch her; ragdoll is down for the count, and it’s a win by knockout for classmate d!
We were talking a lot about the story until I finally said, “Can we stop there, it’s all a bit too much.” And then we moved onto the next match, so the next person could line up for a long ten rounds of betterment.
Bah!