$60 a month - 80+ channels - pay per view along with it

[blacknblue]

Not one BLASTED thing to fit to watch. Day or night. Nothing. Science Fiction, nothing but repeats that I have seen dozens of times. Westerns, I have watched them all so many times I can quote every line. The ones that are worth watching IMO anyway. Horror, drama, action, romance, anything at all. Either it insults the intelligence of a pre-schooler or I have seen it so much that it is threadbare.

Isn't anybody getting paid to write anything worth watching anymore?

[evcake]

No. Oh well, more time to read.
I've started watching the local Community college channel sometimes. Art history courses might not be to your taste, though.
Have you tried Netflix?

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

I don't watch much new stuff on TV. I catch reruns of Third Watch and SG-1 (a show that I'm now seeing for the first time).

In some ways I'm glad for this, because that allows me to watch my DVD collection instead. And I still don't have as much time as I would want!

[CoffeeCat]

I stopped watching TV shortly after I learned that there are only seven possible plots that a writer can write.

[evcake]

Ummm...how's that Kahswan going? Is Lizzie talking yet? You give her such hilarious bits of business, I can't wait to know what her first words are.

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

I stopped watching TV shortly after I learned that there are only seven possible plots that a writer can write.

Oh! Please do tell, what are those plots?

[CoffeeCat]

Seven Basic Plots

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

^ Thanks!

[blacknblue]

I am plugging away at Purgatory, but I needed time off to recharge. I wanted to relax and seek inspiration. I wanted to wander around in someone else's world for a while. No such luck.

This is the only place I can find anythign fit to read anymore. And the rate of writing has nose dived lately.

[Jedikatie]

^
Unfortunately, it's summer time and most people tend to be outside rather than inside typing away at their computers, so it's not likely to pick up a lot...

Speaking of which, dark_rain will be adding the fics while I'm gone from June 21-30 for my vacation... 'cause I don't intend to pay $25 per hour for internet service on the ship.

[CoffeeCat]

^^ I've been procrastinating my own fic forever. Did you know there's a difference between writer's block and writer's anxiety. I don't have the block cause I know exactly what's going to happen next and how to implement it. I get writer's anxiety really bad tho, which is why I'm not as prolific as I ought to be.

Here's information on writer's anxiety:
http://writing2.richmond.edu/writing/wweb/writinganxiety.html

• You might continually postpone working on your assignment and get a late start. If you procrastinate, you do not have enough time to think about and compose what you want to write. This adversely affects both the quality of your writing and your sense of control over the situation.
  
  
• Sometimes you might become so nervous that you feel unable to write anything at all. This is known as writer’s block, and it is akin to self-sabotage.
  
• On the other end of the spectrum, you might devote too much time to worrying about how to make your paper perfect. In addition to causing you unnecessary stress, this approach can take away time from other important activities or assignments (Ryan 43).

And here's a good site that helps deal with writer's block:
http://www.43folders.com/2004/11/18/hack-your-way-out-of-writers-block/

Also, if you want something to read, I can send you what I have of Secret of the Amethyst part II - I've been working up towards one major plot point but procrastinating BIG TIME. JZK knows - I sent her what I had so far and promised her it would be ready for beta eons ago. Since then I went through about 3 edits and trimmed off a lot of unnecessary dialogue (writer's anxiety symptom #3). But I think what I have is readable anyway. I just refuse to publish it without this one plot point because it would serve as an awesome cliffhanger... It would be kind of dumb to put it at the beginning of part 3.

[blacknblue]

SUre! PLease do send it.

I would love to get my hands on it. Be warned, I am slow to comment because I tend to be thorough. But I try to be merciful, because I get writer's anxiety too.

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

Writer's anxiety!

That's it! That's what I feel every time I must write my weekly reviews. I do know the episode and what I think of it, but for some reason, actually sitting down and typing that out can be hard, especially if I didn't care much for the episode in question (I have learned that trashing a sub-par episode isn't as much fun as I thought it would be).

[Distracted]

Writer's anxiety? Pshaw! For fiction, just close your eyes, picture the scene and write what you see. Nobody has to see it but you at first. Get it down and out of your head. Then wait a day or so and go back and read it. Could someone else see the scene based on what you've written? Be objective, now! If you don't like it, then revise it. Add details. Add character descriptions. Cut out unnecessary filler. You've already done the hard part. It's written, right? Once you get it down you've got it made. Then get a beta to look at it if you want to and you're ready for a final revision. If you do it that way there's no reason for handicapping anxiety or even for procrastination. It's a stepwise process. You'll get there. Don't let the task overwhelm you. Divide it up into smaller tasks. At least...that's what I've been doing for two years.

[starwatcher]

Good advice, Dis! Just throw down your thoughts onto paper/screen - it doesn't have to be coherent - you'll have time for that later - then leave it for an hour/day/week, and go back to it - a bit of perspective can be very useful! Good Luck!

Back to the thread - I know what you mean about the crap-ness of tv at the moment - I was treated to Jerry Springer this morning for the first time in about five years - urgh! Heroes is the only thing worth watching on tv at the moment - in the UK, anyway!