Tuesday Writing: Where do I get ideas for stories and poems?

Someone ask me where I get my ideas for my stories and poems. This is the first in a series of weekly articles to answer this question. One of the places I get ideas if from television. I especially like to watch the History Channel because the shows are interesting and encourage research. Today, Tuesday, January 19, I watched a show about giant rats.

Are there giant rats
Big as large dogs or house cats
Roaming our basements or sewers?

As I watched the show, the narrator talked about the possibility of ordinary rats evolving into super rats. These are gigantic rats the size of a dog or a large house cot. The show discussed what researchers were doing to investigate the reports of witnesses who said they saw huge rats in the sewer or basements of one of America's largest cities. I have not made up my mind on this subject because no giant rats were captured; however, I do think the witnesses saw something that frightened them. It is possible for rats to evolve into huge creatures and it makes a good plot for a story or theme for a poem.

Do witnesses exaggerate,
out of fear,
the size of the rats?

 

I need silence when I write

I need silence when I write. I used to be able to work with the television going because I could ignore the noise. As long I could not see the pictures, I could ignore what the actors or the talking heads were saying. I cannot do that any more, when I hear the television I have to stop whatever I am doing and watch.

writing distractions
people talking or singing
on television

I have not listened to a radio in several years, but I think it would be as distracting as the television. It is interesting how I have changed since I turned fifty. I know that before my fiftieth birthday, I could still listen to television or a radio without becoming distracted. I am not sure when this change occurred, but it was sometime between my fiftieth and sixtieth birthdays.

writing distractions
interrupt mental focus
and the plot is lost

Over the weekend, I attempted to write a poem while the television was on. I turned it on because I thought the house was too quiet, I thought I needed to hear some noise because I felt lonely. The noise did not help the feeling of loneliness and it did not help me to write the poem. I finished the poem, but only after, I turned the television off. That is when I realized I felt as lonely with the television on as I did with it off.

Do I need a television set?

I am beginning to wonder if I need a television set. I can watch most shows I like online; in addition, I can get news and weather online. The only issue about watch T.V. on line is eating. If I watch my shows online then I cannot eat a meal watching television.

I do not any special childhood memories of watching television while eating a meal. When I was at my grandparents' house, we usually ate in the kitchen rather then the living room. My grandparents' had only one televisions set and it was in the living room. I am not saying we did not eat in the living room once in a while, but if we did it did not make an impression on me.

I can get the same advertisements or similar ads, when I what my shows online so that will have little affect on the decision to get rid of the television. I could cut down my expenses by watching T.V. online. Right now I have a bundle with the Internet, television, and land line for the telephone. Since I use my cell phone for almost everything, it may be more economical for me just to keep the Internet connection and get rid of the television and the telephone.

A 22 inch LCD TV

Are you looking for a 22 inch lcd tv? I am looking for an HD ready widescreen 22 inch LCD television set. I am not sure whether I want a Samsung, Polaroid, or Toshiba high definition TV, but I do know that I want it in black.

January is half over

January is half over and there is about thirty days until the T.V. broadcasting changes. I will no longer have a television. I will still have a T.V. set, but I won't be able to watch because it won't pick up the broadcast. I'm not sure whether I will be happy or sad about that. In order to pick up the broadcast, I'll have to get a new T.V. set.

The priority now is a new refrigerator and DSL, in that order. I need a new fridge because the one I have is on its "last legs". I need DSL because I'm sick of the slow download time and I could get more work if I had DSL rather then a regular phone hook up to the Internet. This means that a television set is last on the priority list. And it may go down even farther if my keyboard keeps acting up.

My computer keyboard misses letter periodically. This means I have to go back and type them in, which cuts down on the amount of words I write. It also causes me to forget what the next word, sentence or line should be when I'm working on a poem. I guess I will miss the T.V. set but I'm not sure there is anything I can do about it right now.

In addition, to a new fridge and DSL, my mother needs a hearing aid in both ears and she has cataracts. Both the hearing aid and cataract surgery are expensive. Therefore, they are going to go ahead of the television and probably other things as well, with the exception of the fridge.

My only entertainment may be on line and writing from now on. I'm still going to have to find something to entertain Mom. All thought, my mother does enjoy house cleaning, doing laundry and dishes. There is only so much housework, which she can do in a day. I think we will miss the daily news more then anything else.