There's a strike going on in my head. I have words, and I've formed those words into groups and sentences and paragraphs and chapters. Which is good.
What is not good is that the words are now taking industrial action. when i formed them into groups, they formed into unions, and now they are refusing to cross the barricade and go to work on the page. Why i don't know, as to let me know would necessitate words being used, and no one wants to be a scab by using words ...
you know what the worst part is? They hum - i have musac in my head (no words of course) ALL the time.
If you have any experience in industrial arbitration, SEND HELP!!
You know I've been spending way too much time on facebook when I immediately look for a LIKE button :) :P
Good luck! Do the Qantas thing and strike back!!
For someone who claims to be having trouble with words, you sure do have a way of turning a point about it ;)
Mystic Guilden
12 years ago
Mystic Guilden
Mage
I was just thinking the same thing :D
If that's your absence of words....I WANT IT!! :P
Maybe you can offer the words a bribe? Such as, as much time off as they would like come March??
Otherwise, just hang in there Nef, I'm sure they will grow tired of waving placards and inventing chants soon enough :)
Nah those words are management, keeping the plant going on skeleton staff - I keep them well fed on chocolate bars and sailor moon.
But thanks!
Wanderer Ward
12 years ago
Wanderer Ward
Dreamscape Artist
I agree with Ari's suggestion to bribe them. No more cooking or consumption of brandy butter until they argee to appear in full in print! :P
Ashlings' guildleader
12 years ago
Sat Dec 17 2011, 11:18am
Ashlings' guildleader
Dreamscape Artist
Sorry Nef, I'm afraid that in my family all the experience with industrial action is on the side of the unionists :P
That said, I did think of something that might help. You could try verbalising your story instead of writing it down. There may be a loop hole in the industrial action agreement that allows the words to cooperate for speech while they take industrial action on writing (like how Dr Horrible was born) and then the words might decide that they actually enjoy working and their old conditions weren't so bad after all.
So the words are in talks right now. I've given them a overseas holiday, and they're debating whether to go back to work. Ungrateful little buggers ...
Ashlings' guildleader
12 years ago
Ashlings' guildleader
Dreamscape Artist
Where'd you send them Nef? Some place warm and sunny?
I took them with me to Dubai. Then we're going to Italy.
Wonder of Wonders - the Burj Khalifa yielded a break in the strike - I threatened to throw them over the edge and they came up with a couple of pages - if only for my travel journal. It's a start ...
So there's some mediation going on now. The words are working, but they are refusing to contribute to anything that is remotely imaginative or has the suggestion of a storyline. I'm pretty much restricted to travel diary stuff.
I'm trying to either trick them or bring them back to the table for more discussion, but it's slow going ...
Wanderer Ward
12 years ago
Wanderer Ward
Dreamscape Artist
At least you're writing something Nef! :) And on rereading your travel diaries years down the track (or tomorrow... or even as you write it :P ), you could be inspired to write something else. I hope you're enjoying your travels! Good luck!
The words ARE working after a trip to Pompeii - they just aren't very good ...
Bad words are better than no words. Bad words can at least become good words with some tweaking ;) or perhaps a ahard smack.
Success! The words have agreed to go back to work - and even start work on plot building and story writing!!! Hooray!
Given the delay caused by the industrial action, it seems that the backlog won't be cleared for some time, and so deadlines set previously will not be met. I am, however, optimistic that this cessation of hostilities means that we can work harmoniously in future.
I'll post something when I've got it typed - I've been rocking it old school with pen and paper - nearly lost my pen the other day.
Marvellous news, Nef!! ^^; Very much looking forward to reading a snippet!
Also, perhaps to prevent further industrial action, you might consider improving your current health and dental benefits? Not that I know what your current policy is but this often seems to be a bit of a problem with industrial strikes etc. :P
Meh - health and dental aren't really an issue in Australian workplace relations, given that we have universal healthcare. It's more work hours and conditions that are generally at issue. Thanks for the tip though!
I've booked the lot of them on a shift this afternoon - after I go shopping and eat too much food ...
Then let us just hope that the too much food does not cause sudden onset sleep napnea! Nothing makes me want to nap more than a nice big meal.
lol - I did end up napping, but only because the sun was shining and it was so peaceful - and ONLY after I got some words out! Hooray for words!!
the strike may be over, but the battle continues. I gave the words much food for thought, but they like to chew their food very well before spitting out a story. I await their response with growing frustration.
Good grief, the words are just about roaming the streets of Athens and burning historic cinemas. It's the austerity measures - never EVER give your words little time or incentive to work - it never ends well.
You see I got back from my holidays, and the words were digesting everything they saw - ready to spit it out in about ... well, deadlines are something of a joke to them, but coherent passages would come. But then I decided to move. Of course, at the very moment I was lugging boxes was the time at which the words decided they wanted out, in the manner of a 3 year old child deciding that they need to go to the toilet NOW! What with boxes to lug and boxes to unpack and furniture to move and clothes to iron (pack them never so neatly and they still come out a crumpled mess ...) and bookshelves to restack and work to go to in and around that, not to mention the CLEANING, writing down these belated gems just didn't happen. So the words decided to stop work again. I think I let the words read too many newspapers - they've been following Greece and the PIIGS in general quite closely.
Perhaps you could call what's going on now literary constipation - you know, hang on to things long enough and eventually it just stays there ...
Obernowrisu is therefore bust - I have a story Idea and plan, but no words ...
That's a shame to hear, Nef. But then again, there is always next summer ;) and your story and plan will still be there. Who knows, you might even find time and words during the rest of the year too.
I should never let my words read the papers. The buggers are now emphatically denying that they are going to challenge for the leadership of my brain. Perhaps I should smother them in a bit of MKR or something ...
Perhaps you should let them win the ballot and get themselves out on paper; you can always challenge them and get control back again a year or so later :). Although, that didn't work out so well for K Rudd this time around...
The problem is that they are lazy - if they win the ballot, I'm out of commission for the foreseeable future! I will have to sort this the old fashioned way - back to the Dictatorship!
