Siggy's Blurbs: Siggy's Edge of Country …

Somehow I need to talk less.  I need to give my wife more empty spaces.  I forget this all too often.  I do not have to repeat myself unless it is evident she did not hear me or understand me.  All this is very hard for me.  I know I have to work on it.

Less is always more.  It is too easy to fill up the blank spaces with words.  I have to give my “other” a chance to reflect on my words.  All this takes time.  Communication is not immediate.  This age of cell phones and other technology gives this illusion that communication is instant.  It is the hardest thing in the whole world.  It is work.

When I believe I am being perfectly clear in my communication with my wife, I find out I wasn’t.

Tags: cell phones, communication, communication is hard, communication is work, empty spaces, less is more, my wife, my words, repeat myself, talk less, technology
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The beauty of a superb piece of writing (as a gorgeous musical composition) is what is left out–the empty spaces.  A writer does not want to confuse the writer (???) with clutter.  Every thing that is not necessary has been taken out.

You want every word, every phrase, every sentence and paragraph to matter.  I always said that an excellent editor is worth their weight in gold.  It is very difficult for the writer to see their piece objectively.

You always need someone from the outside who you trust for their advice on your written piece.  Sure you need to do everything you can before you submit your piece to someone else.

Nevertheless, at some point you need to present your piece to someone else for their opinion.  You have to be very careful who you choose and when to do this.  You have given your piece your all.

Now it is time to let someone else read it.  Everything that gets in the way has to be taken out or changed.  You want every word to count.  You can not do this by yourself.

Tags: editing writing, editors, empty spaces, every word counts, excellent editor, let someone else read it, musical composition, writers, writing
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Writing is a renewable resource but first you have to tend to yourself.  Let’s compare writing to a forest.  If you cut down all the trees and do not replant, the forest is gone.

If you want to write, you have to do simple things like taking proper care of yourself.  Yes, even things like eating and sleeping right.  You can get away with it for awhile but not forever.

You have to order your life a certain way.  I can’t tell you how.  You have to figure out what works for you.  You will never run out of ideas and the words to express them.

Of course, you have to regularly sit down and write.  There is no way to get around that.  Otherwise the window of opportunity is gone.  And you can never go back but forward.

You also have to mull things over and permit yourself to do nothing occasionally or something totally unrelated to your writing.

Some of this requires empty spaces.  Your brain is always working even when you are not aware of it.  If you don’t do this, your words will peter out eventually.

Writing is only the tip of the iceberg.  You simply pick it up at some point and record that which is yours.  You live to write not write to live.  If you treat yourself right, you will never run out of ideas.

Tags: brain is always working, do nothing occasionally, eating right, empty spaces, God, if you want to write, live to write not write to live, mull things over, never run out of ideas, order your life, record that which is yours, sit down and write, sleeping right, take proper care of yourself, tip of the iceberg, treat yourself right, window of opportunity, words peter out, writers, writing, writing is a renewable resource, you can never go back
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There is always something to write about.  It is a question of picking up a “thread” in your life and following it on paper if you are so inclined.

There is no such thing as writer’s block unless you have picked yourself clean and not allowed yourself any empty spaces or “down time” to put it another way.

Every day you have concerns and different thoughts are going through your head.  You just have start somewhere and follow it where ever it goes.

None of that happens if you do not allow yourself quiet moments.  Your brain really never stops.  You just have to physically stop and record and follow at least one line of thought.

Although it is always up to you whether you want to write and follow your thoughts on paper (or the keyboard).  It is always up to you.  Writing is only one form of communication.  You live to write, not write to live.

Tags: author, communication, computer keyboard, empty spaces, follow your thoughts, live to write not write to live, paper, quiet moments, record your thoughts, something to write about, start somewhere to write, want to write, writer's block, writers, writing, your brain never stops
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Music is mathematics.  A beautiful piece of music is composed of empty spaces and notes of various intensity and pitch and somehow they all fit together and become a composition.  I can not tell you how to get it there but I can tell you when it works.

I can tell you when I string together on a cassette, let us say forty minutes of music, composed, maybe, of thirteen songs, it somehow fits together.  It is done intuitively and is based on forty years of listening ten of thousands of hours (???).

An anthology of music I put together that way contains the “best” of what is out there and fits together.  Ultimately taste in the quality of music is a gift.  Music is mathematics and my experience in listening enables me to separate the mediocre from the very good and also know what music blends together.

The best songs from the “Stones” and “The Beatles” to name two familiar groups hold up well because the musicianship is impeccable and holds up well to repeated listening.  The composers had a superb ear and the ability to get it “right”.  Music is always mathematics.

Tags: a good ear for music, Beatles, beautiful piece of music, best songs, cassette, composers, composition, empty spaces, music, music anthology, music is mathematics, musical notes, musicians, musicianship, pitch, quality of music, Rolling Stones, years of listening to music
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All there is, is today.  It is so easy to be distracted.  Life is full of distractions.  When your life is ebbing away, you wish there was more.  There is only today.

Sometimes the days seem endless and that is only an illusion.  Make the best of every dawn that you face.  And when the dusk appears, rest peacefully when you have made the most of the preceding day.

That is why there has to be empty spaces in every day.  Somehow you have to stop your frenetic activity and look at your past, examine the future and live fully in the present.

There is only one go of it.  Do not regret you have wasted, squandered the most valuable possession you have–your time.

So slow down periodically, welcome the empty spaces.  It is an opportunity to examine your life and truly do what matters the most.  It is too easy to imagine there will always be another day.  ‘Life is but a vapor’ in the words of King Solomon who had it all.  So think about it.

Tags: Bible, days seem endless, do what matters most, empty spaces, examine the future, frenetic activity, God, had it all, illusion, King Solomon, life ebbing away, life full of distractions, Life is but a vapor, live in the present, look at your past, make the best of each dawn, rest peacefully at dusk, slow down, squander time, time most valuable possession, today is all there is, waste time, wish there was more
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I have more than enough unread books and that does not include the steady stream of daily newspapers and magazines that come to my household.  Do I feel guilty I can not keep up with my reading, that I never read the complete newspaper from cover to cover?  Certainly not.  I am reminded of King Solomon’s words in the Bible and I am not sure I can quote that verbatim:  he says we can become weary of too much study.  I read what I most want to read.  I scan newspapers and magazines reading what most interests me.  I do not feel compelled to read every word.  That would be a trap and make reading onerous instead of the joy it is.  The words of Solomon written over 2,000 years ago have not changed.  In an era of instant communication one thing has not changed through the ages–the saturation point.  Each person can absorb so much information and then becomes sated.

Life is always a balancing act.  Reading is only one part of my life.  I need time to absorb and reflect on the significance of what I read and for that matter I need time to simply reflect periodically where I am going or have been.  That takes time and often quiet.  Reading is only one thing I do and is punctuated by empty spaces.  I never feel guilty I have not read enough or thoroughly enough.  It is all relative.  One has to live his life.  Ideas are only one thing.  Then one has to put into practice what he/she learns.  That is only possible if reflection takes place.  And that, of course, takes time.

Tags: absorb and reflect, balance, become weary of too much study, Bible, books, empty spaces, God, ideas are only one thing, joy of reading, King Solomon, knowledge, learning, magazines, quiet, reading, reading what most interests me, reflection, saturation point, time, unread newspapers
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