My second vexing problem

My second vexing problem is no secret. It's an inability to write.

This inability works -- or doesn't work -- at two levels. First off, I struggle with writing coherent sentences and paragraphs. Which is odd, because I make my living writing. I have good editors. So while I do write a lot, I don't really consider myself a Writer in the capital letter sense. But that's coming. That's not really the main problem.

The main problem is my lack of discipline when it comes to writing even the incoherent stuff. For some reason, it's just very, very difficult to get started. It as if my writing mind is stuck in quicksand. Once I get started, and actually "moving" so to speak, it comes easier.

So my main goal lately has been developing the discipline to just write, good or bad, pretty or ugly. I was doing OK for a while, a week and a half or so. I was doing some journaling, a handwritten page each day. Then I got busy, we had visitors, and I got out of the habit.

Back where I started.

When I was a kid, I had an engine of an old two-man chainsaw. My intention was to build a go cart. I tinkered with the thing. Dad taught me the trick of spraying a little gas in the spark plug hole. The machine would start up full bore, run about 10 seconds, then quit.

What you are witnessing here is the attempts to get the two-man chainsaw engine of my literary goals running smoothly.

Chug, bang, rrrrr. Ptt.