"Song of the Candle" & writer's block

Fragments of lyrics from Stan Rogers' "Song of the Candle" came to me just now. For a moment I couldn't think from what song they were a part. I was actually starting a Google search when I remembered it was a bit from Stan Rogers' song about writer's block.

I was embarrassed. Canadian folksinger, Stan Rogers, has been one of my favorite singer/songwriters for 3? 4? decades. When I heard about his unexpected death at work in 1983, I burst into tears--the only time I've ever done that about someone I've never met.

I could go on about Stan, and would if I don't stop myself.

I created this blog to share my thoughts about imagination, inspiration and creativity--ironic given that I've just recovered from a very long stretch of writer's block. Please keep that in mind if--when you read these entries--you think I know what I'm talking about.

I've read many articles offering strategies for overcoming writer's block but hearing someone describe their own struggles helped me more.


Song of the Candle, by Stan Rogers   (original performance)


Song of the Candle

I took up my pen tonight. I couldn't seem to write.
It's like I got religion and then I lost the light
An old woman once told me she'd always felt that way...
She said "Taken from the mold when it can still run
A candle might not keep you from the cold
But buy another candle, son, it's not too much to pay
For one more try." I had to smile
Before I walked away.

Coffee houses bother me. I cannot tell you why.
But, it never seems "hello" sounds as sweet as "goodbye".
And the waitresses, in passing, remember all your names...
They say "Look around and try to meet a single eye."
And empty cups will mock me if I stay but
"Buy another coffee, Stan, it's not too much to pay.
And we will try to raise your smile
Before you walk away."

Tonight in a room full of candles another cup of ashes drains away
And, at times, it gets so hard to handle
Knowing one more song has swiftly taken wing
And I'm left alone to hear the song a lonely candle sings.

The priest, I found, was nervous. He cleared his throat a lot.
But, framed in stained glass windows, his eyes were lost in thought.
And I said "Father, can you tell me...is some happiness my right?"
He said "Rather seek you joy, the blessings of your God,
And happiness from worship in his sight.
And buy another candle son, before you start to pray
And don't forget to cross your breast
Before you walk away."

Tonight, in a room full of candles, another cup of madness drains away.
And at times it gets so hard to handle
Knowing one more simple song has swiftly taken wing.
And I'm left alone to hear the song a lonely candle sings.

One too many cigarettes, slowly burning down
And the final cup of coffee was cold and full of grounds
And maybe one last pipeful might send the words around
Still, underneath my hand this night has slipped away
And it leaves me as empty as this page
One more candle flickers out, the night is turning grey
And I just can't watch the dying flame
I have to walk away.

Tonight I have burned all my candles
Leaving only ashes in their wake...
And at times, I get so hard to handle
'Cause simple songs leave me behind, they all have taken wing
And I'm left alone to hear the song a lonely candle sings...

http://lyrics.wikia.com/Stan_Rogers:Song_Of_The_Candle


"Song of the Candle I wrote in 1972, in London, the result of a very hard night trying to write a song the night before. You know, when you sit down to write and nothing comes out and you spend a white night because of it, and watch the sun come up and realize that nothing has been done. That old burned-out, tired and wasted feeling. It’s essentially that trip, but done in a soft ballad way."
http://www.thedigitalfolklife.org/stan.html

"Stan Rogers" at Wikipedia

Do Writers Have Friends?

A Tumblr s/p/a/m/ email just suggested websites I might like, each accompanied by a few samples from the site.

Here's one of them:

Hmmm....  

With all due respect to Agatha Christie,

relying on her theory can backfire.

Evidence from one of my favorite author t-shirts

Maybe I Don’t Have Writer’s Block

EVIDENCE

(1)

Fragments from Scribblings entries re 

Earthbow or The Gryphon & The Basilisk (2009)

"I am currently supposed to be reading: two manuscripts belonging to fellow writers, assorted extracts also from fellow writers, Earthbow for additional typos to be corrected, my family memoir manuscript to see if it's ready for querying agents, a number of books I've started over the last few months but never finished, friends' blog entries & assorted emails from various lists. I have been awake for approximately five hours and the only reading tasks I've done have been reading and stowing emails, writing my previous blog entry about this past Monday and beginning this one.

"So that means I've been busy with other important stuff, right? Not entirely. I put the crock pot in to soak with hot water and detergent and its temp turned to warm a while back but I haven't cleaned it out yet. I had a bit of a ragged prayer session. I had breakfast--2 cups of coffee & some slightly stale bran with cranberry granola cereal. And I've played with two pesky cats more than two cats actually deserve."

-----  Scribblings, Feb 5 2009

~~~~~

"Once I get my act together--it's only after 2 p.m. Sunday, I hope to spend the day continuing editing more of "Earthbow". I still have hopes --diminished hopes--of completing the edit of the first half of the manuscript before the end of the month. Three days. It would be a lock if I hadn't discovered that additional passages of the manuscript were missing from the printed and carefully bound master copy of Earthbow. For some reason, Coris scenes keep slipping through a literary black hole. Arrgghh!"

-----  Scribblings, March 29th, 2009

~~~~~

"I found two more sections of my "Earthbow" manuscript that were missing from the WORD documents on the computer. Rather first I discovered that something was suspiciously missing here and that something was suspiciously lacking there. THEN, I spent a while looking through WORD files on the desktop. Then I gave up and delved into print-outs from the early 2000's. Then I went back to the typewritten manuscript version and finally found a total of nearly -40- pages that were missing in those two locations. (That's 40 pages, double-spaced so it isn't quite as bad as it sounds.)

I was so glad to find those sections, I can't even begin to express my relief. One involved a battle that I most definitely didn't not want to recreate. The other was the second half of a scene from the antagonists' POV plus the first half of the following scene from the protagonists' POV. Do not ask me how it is possible to have lost such an odd combo of pages."

-----  Scribblings April 12th, 2009   “Things Always Come in Two’s … except when they don’t”

(2)

Emails Sent During National Novel Writing Month 2005

From:  SherryT

Date:  2005/11/07 Mon PM 02:18:16 EST

Subject: A Surprise re Gryphon & Basilisk

"I’ve been rummaging through manuscript fragments, trying to find the first two volumes of the Gryphon and the Basilisk, because I needed the name of a town. Rummaging, because the two volumes were typed--not keyed in on a computer or word processor--so I have no computer files for them.

"Once I found the correct boxes with the G&B manuscripts and got the name I needed, I poked around through some of the loose stuff in the bottom of the box. I confess I was trying to delay getting back to NaNo-speed-writing G&B volume 3.

"Anyway, I ran into a submission for a UD writing class. It was the original Chapter One of the original Volume One of The Gryphon and the Basilisk--dated September 1982. 

"I thought that I began Seabird* in the early 80's but this pushes it all back a bit. There's no way I wrote Seabird -and- Earthbow between Jan 1 1980 and Sept 1982.  I must have started writing the books in the late seventies. No wonder I get so utterly weary of trying to get Seabird published. Yeah, I've only tried for a total of maybe 4 years – a couple years back in the 80's and the rest over the last few years. Still, it seems like I've been doing this my whole life.

* I actually wrote Seabird between 1979 & 1980

"That's all for the moment.

"SherryT

"p.s. Can I -scan in- chapters from G&B volumes 1 and 2 and use the results toward my NaNo count?   ;)  

       No?  ...grumble...

~~~~~

Found old G&B discs!

Email to writer-friends

Date: 11/26/2005

"No one asked me the "traditional Thanksgiving question" and I actually had an answer this year.

"I'm thankful for finding a couple discs of data I didn't know existed.

"As some of you have heard (repeatedly now), I wrote Seabird, the first draft of its sequel i.e. Earthbow, and 2/3 of The Gryphon & the Basilisk (sequel to Earthbow) without stopping between them. The G&B sequel was also supposed to be one volume but--as I was writing things down--I realized it was more likely to end up as three books.  I got to the end of the G&B vol.2 manuscript the better part of twenty years ago. And stopped.

"During this National Novel Writing Month, I'm writing as much of G&B vol.3 as I can squeeze in during the time allotted.

"Even before this NaNo, I was sure that The Gryphon & the Basilisk volume 1 existed only in a typed hard copy and that volume 2 existed only in hand-written sheets. For years I've kept one copy each of volumes 1&2 in my freezer to protect them. (The hard copies don't fit in my tiny fire-proof lockbox and my bank perversely refuses to have safe deposit boxes.)

"I’ve been inputting stray files into my new computer today--the better to lose NaNoWriMo. When I finished inputting what I knew I had in the container, I checked the discs in my lock box to see if anything on them needed up-loading. Mixed in with the other discs was one labeled G&B vols 1&2 !  It seems that back in 2002, I scanned in all the typed sheets of volume 1 and I transcribed almost all of the chapters of volume 2.

" I have no memory of having done this but I’m -very- grateful!"

~~~~~

Maybe I did write The Gryphon and the Basilisk volume 3 but dropped the disc into the cookie jar along with the sugar cookies! Phew!

If only I could find my cookie jar...

Stream of Guilty Conscienceness

A couple of days ago my writer-friend Mike Dunne read a blog entry titled, "10 Questions on Becoming a Better Writer". Impressed by Ramona's words of wisdom, Mike wrote an entry at his blog about Ramona's blog, and posted a link to it on his FB page. He described Ramona like this,   "...author, editor, instructor, and knight in shining armor." 

I agree. Ramona DeFelice Long is an experienced & professional editor, talented author and teacher-of-author-master-classes, and some time life coach. Her public readings are flawless. Totally enjoyable! Her advice to authors tends to be succinct & penetrating. If I could afford her, I would ask her to be my writing guru.

Now might be a good time for you to check Ramona's blog entry even if you're not an author. Here's the first of her ten questions,
"What one skill—if improved—would make you a better writer?"
So, you're not an author? Substitute an activity that's important to you, in which you have invested a sizable chunk of time. Answer this question and the rest. And don't ignore the self-revelation.

By the time I answered Ramona's last question, I was convicted of the most inexcusable sin in writing. Willful manuscript neglect. (cringe) I've had my share of writer's block in my time--more than my share when it comes t0 the G&B behemoth--but Tree House Tales has never once blocked me. It deserves better. Likewise Marooned, once Caprice freed the manuscript and me from our semi-permanent stasis. 

I confessed in Comments,
"I enjoyed your no nonsense, no wiggle room approach. You combine focused advice with a wide range of applicability. I might have liked the entry even more if I could have closed your page & blithely resumed my three weeks long website reconstruction.*

"I do need a decent website but my first commitment should be final pre-pub revisions of both “Marooned” (new Narenta novel) and my “Tree House Tales” anthology.
[My goodness! For months, my email sig read, "Tree House Tales" forthcoming later this summer--until I changed it to 'later this year'.] 

"Playing with The Scroll Chamber has been fun but Writer Vacation is over. Time to hit the books. Thanks for the course correction!     TreeLady"     
(I posted this to MD's FB page as well.)

Convicted of manuscript neglect, I read Ramona's ten suggestions on how I might best rehabilitate myself. Only about half of the strategies fit and were possible but that was more than enough! No more wasting  h/o/u/r/s  d/a/y/s  weeks on website construction!

With a renewed sense of author purpose, I closed both R's blog & M's FB page, and began again...

Maybe THIS time I'll finally create a blog that people will read! *


* Cue Ramona's voice in my head, "Did you hear nothing I said?"