Strike Fiss Manifesto
January 2001
“Green Jackets”
Imagine my horror when I realized I was just about to write something for the sake of writing it.
But then, imagine my joy in realizing that I was about to write something for the sake of writing it.
It’s been too long. Far too long. Between busy days and money-making and job-hunting and people-experiencing…I’ve lost touch on the nerdy little Fiss that would sit at the keyboard for daaaaaaaaaaaaays on end, typing in stuff for his own amusement…and for the apparent amusement of several thousand readers. (I know, scary, is it not?)
I don’t really regret missing out on this, though…the change has not been something permanent…it is a by-product of life, but is not life. The nice thing about writing – and is why I stress it has been the most wonderful thing in my life – has been it’s ability to enhance everything I do. Even when I’m at work, I know I would not be as eloquent with speech if it wasn’t for my rabid, and almost comical fascination with the written word that drove me. I would not have met half of my friends who are ‘taking up my time’ if it wasn’t for them dropping a line one day and wishing to talk to a crazy, Jolt-drinking mad man behind a keyboard.
And it still drives me. I suppose it’s just not the only thing anymore.
Still, I can feel it…the pain…the urge…the need to write. Especially these last few months. It’s the writer’s block, you know. A horrible thing. Numbed down to such a common, and overused phrase. Now, every kid and their dog who is having problems with their English homework has ‘Writer’s Block’. Not so. I laugh at that concept. Writer’s block only affects people who NEED to write.
Like me.
As strange as it sounds, I would not give one ounce of a thought to if you were reading this or not. I couldn’t care less. If you talk to me, and say hi, and maybe we become occasional net-buddies, then that’s just wonderful, and I am always on the look out for fellow kindred souls who might take these ramblings to heart.
But if I found out nobody read this? I wouldn’t shed a drop of sweat, blood, or tear about it.
The reason to write is not in the text…not in the written word…oh no. Do you think Humanity would hold such utter fascination and love for literature if that was all? No. It’s because that when you write, you are creating.
Creating. A very simple act. We do it every day…mostly in the way of our bodily functions and random thoughts, but still, we do it. Writing is our chance, however, to be Gods. And a moment before any of you find that blasphemous, I ask you: Have you ever gotten so caught up in a world that was not your own? Have you ever known ‘reality’ to be on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise? Or have to watch your head because you know the next Highlander might just take it off? Or be wary of putting on your High-School Ring because you know…just maybe…it is the Ring To Rule Them All…? Have you ever looked at your pet and expected it to talk? Have you ever…just once…wished that you could see a dragon fly across the sky?
These may be movies…or TV Shows…or books…but they all come from one place. The Human Mind. And even the stuff on the big screen has to be written down first.
Writing is one of the ways we prove we’re not just some stinky evolution of Ape. Or, and I mean NO disrespect whatsoever, some land-walking Dolphin species. (and for all I know, Dolphins do write…we just haven’t figured it out yet. ^_^ )
And it’s not just part of some silly God Complex. When I hit “Upload” on my FTP program to send the next Higher Learning, or Seven Knights, or Manifesto up to my website, I don’t just sit there and cackle “Whahaha! I am GOD! I HAVE CREATED A UNIVERSE! WHAHAHAHA!”
Okay…sometimes I do. ^_^ but it’s just for fun.
It’s not about that. No ‘rush’ of creation. Rather, it’s something more subtle. Anyone familiar with my quotes page will know this already, but the simple act of writing something…even if it was never to be read…will still benefit you. It will enrich your life. How?
I’m still figuring it out.
But, I suppose, I can give you a short list.
-Friends
-Roommates
-The World
-True Love
-Being able to never say ‘I’m Bored’
-Responsibility
-Humility
-Intelligence
-Skill
-Imagination
-Respect
-Confidence
-Joy
-The addiction to Caffeine
-A young heart
And that’s just a quick list I write in the time it took to fill each line with text.
Now, back to the previous thought train, imagine Writer’s Block as something that makes all this seem less important. No…wait…that’s wrong. Writer’s Block is not a block. It’s the moment you realize that you SHOULD be writing. It’s your mind saying: “GOOD GOD MAN! SNAP OUT OF THIS! WAKE UP AND GET YOUR ASS TO A PENCIL!”
Sometimes, it’s almost terrifying. When you look back at yourself a year ago and say: I did that entire story in a MONTH???
And then you look at your keyboard and become frightened that you can’t pick it up again.
To the people out there who know how to write…how to love it…how to enjoy it and know what joy it brings…I can think of few scarier things in life.
But…it’s nice…because it takes so little to get back.
For me, right now, at least, I have a temporary solution. It involves a three way mix of Jolt, Jim Henson and a new Logitech Keyboard.
Major props go out to Logitech. This keyboard ROCKS! ^_^ Bah, I could type on any keyboard, but this gave me the excuse to ‘try it out’, so I am. 😛 Simple, neh?
As for Jim Henson? I realized something when I was watching The Labyrinth the other day. That this man could craft WORLDS…and the story would just follow suit.
Exactly what the best writers do. Except, he could do it visually. If you go behind the scenes in The Dark Crystal, or The Labyrinth, both those stories were basically crafted from the background up. The world was made before the characters. The characters made before the story. Instead of saying ‘what character do we need?’, they said ‘what character would exist in our world?’.
Personally, I think that’s friggin genius. After all, that’s how WE were made. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Creationist, or a fan of Darwinism, or whatever…The earth came here first. Then us. How much time was in-between is anyone’s guess, but Jim Henson and his homies did it in about one year for each film.
It was that kind of inspiration that got my ass off the excuse that I’m horribly sick right now, and made me start filling this annoyingly white and blank Word 2000 screen with my gibberish.
I also realized that it was this kind of mentality that made Jim the master he was…and still is. When he created…he Created. If he did not know how…he grabbed someone who did. This man was the shit, so to speak. The Man. He felt what the imagination could do, and he grabbed it all into a ball and threw it at an audience that…even today…will probably never see how amazing it was.
Oh, but some do. And that is why the voice of Kermit The Frog will live forever.
Which goes back to the God Complex idea. Think of it like this…even if God was dead…would that be such a horrible thing? Do you think he’d care? He’d probably be happy that so many people are living in what he created. Even then, after his death, it was discovered that the good Mister JRR, author of Lord of the Rings, had several novels worth of unwritten notes. Do you think he cared? Hell, even if he never published once…he created WORLDS upon worlds. Down to the tiniest detail. And I bet he was one of the happiest people on earth.
It’s not about fame. Or fortune. Or benefits. All of that just comes after because other humans can appreciate such wonderful creations.
Ahh, and as for the final of the three ‘inspirations’…Jolt…I have been saving for this moment.
And the rest to all you out there. Small gods…Humans…Writers… Readers….it matters not. Thank you for reading, and may writer’s block only visit you when you need a kick in the head.
Strike Fiss, Studio Shinnyo 2001. Khattam-Shud, EOF.
Posted under Manifestoes
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