Thursday, February 4, 2010

In which I nearly sacrifice a kidney to the blogosphere

Melodramatic. Who, me? What's the going rate for a kidney nowadays?




















Hi-ya. How are things going? I've missed my blogging buddies a lot. But here I am and, hopefully, there you are too. What's new? What'd I miss? Really. Lay it on me.

I received a blog award yesterday which I'm sure will make some of you chuckle, perhaps even snort. CKHB at Heim Binas Fiction gave me and seven others the coveted "Over the Top Award". Well perhaps coveted is in the eye of the beholder. However, CKHB has an awesome writing blog as good as any out there. I highly recommend you check it out and have been planning on gushing much more about that particular blog and it's creator for quite a while. Stay tuned on that.

Well, in my acceptance speech (read: short-ish comment), I assured Carrie that I would blog today or forfeit a kidney. Which got me thinking. I know. Uh, oh.

Everyone knows it takes sacrifice to pursue your dreams or, in our case, to finish a story. Giving up one's social butterfly status. A regular paycheck. An easy answer when people ask what you do.

So I started wondering, how much would I give up to finish my long-suffering novel? Internet time, tv time, Sid Meir's Civilization time? Hmm. Then I started wondering, what about body parts? Would I give up one kidney? Don't really like messing with internal stuff so much. But still, I think I could survive on one kidney.


















What's your answer? What body part would you give up to finish your novel.

I've decided my answer is my left middle finger, any fingernail or toenail except for my right thumb, my left fourth toe (that I don't remember if it went to the market, stayed home or what) and/or either ear. It's a no for now on the kidney but that's not to say it's off the table. I'm a reasonable guy, usually.

Now I can already hear my mom's voice telling me, like she has so many times. "The journey IS the destination." And that's true. If we're just given something, no matter how important, it's not really ours. We haven't experienced it, earned it. Allegedly. And maybe that is especially true in writing.

The process is everything. The struggle is the joy. And all that.

But if anyone sees or talks to my muse. See if he/she is in the market for a left middle finger. I can still flip people off just fine with my right.


PS Good to be back.
PPS This kidney sculpture pic was swiped from here and the photographer is Ken Ilio.


14 comments:

  1. Wahoo Ben! So glad your brilliant wit is gracing the page again, missing kidney and all. I'd sacrifice all my back teeth to finish a new novel (and preferably get it published).

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  2. The beauty of RSS feeds is I will always know when you post, even if you haven't for nearly 3 months :-)

    To get published? Barring bionic replacements, I'd give up my left leg below the knee. That way I could replace it with a peg leg and voila! Free pirate marketing angle!

    (I considered an eye patch, but all this computer time kills my eyes as it is. I figure I need the redundancy).

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  3. Welcome back. Missed you!

    I might have already sacrificed my brain, which stinks because I really need it....

    Shelley

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  4. Welcome back. Toenail? How do you give it up? Have someone yank it off? Do you know that's a torture tactic"

    Somebody get his muse back before he starts changing his mind about his kidney.

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  5. Welcome back, Ben. I've missed your blog!

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  6. Yay, you're back!

    (Weirdo.)

    Well, I told the universe I'd get a tattoo if I got agented fast enough (I didn't) so apparently I'm willing to give a small amount of skin up...

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  7. An eyelash.

    I mean, it's already taken just about everything else....

    Do I have to wait another three months to come to your blog to play?

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  8. Beeeeeen! (Picture me, as Luke Skywalker in the snow, and seeing you finally return and being weak with joy.)

    Well, since I've always likened writing to pulling off my own fingernails, I'd have to say...fingernails. Too bad there isn't a bean for that. I wouldn't want to post a picture of an actual pulled-off fingernail. Ew.

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  9. u haven't blogged in ages and now u're back with the statement that u're ready to lose your left middle finger for the greater good that is finishing a novel. but how would you finish a novel, and by this i mean typing it, with only NINE fingers? is it me or people are still using 11 fingers to type? (OR both index fingers :D)

    me? i would give my fat. voluntarily.

    anyway, nice to have you back on the blogsphere!

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  10. "Frodo, of the nine fingers...."
    I can just hear people making up Tolkeinian ballads after you. Ben, it could be a very marketable deficiency! Go for it!

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  11. you're. I meant YOU'RE. I'm so embarrassed. Don't tell Martha.

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  12. Finally. Finally. FINALLY!!!

    YES, I'M YELLING AGAIN. (so sorry)

    Glad to see you back. :)

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