I need to read more. It’s good for my brain.

I just started a Joyce Carol Oates novel called Zombie. It’s pretty good so far. I feel like I’m in sort of a creative rut, and reading always helps to inspire me to think about writing in different ways.

No Shame starts tomorrow, and I’ve got something started. I have no idea if it’s any good or not. I almost never do. The writing is the largest part, I think, but the success of the piece also depends on chemistry with the audience. It’s hard to predict how things will go over. Sometimes I know a piece will succeed, and that’s always rewarding, but I don’t want to let my writing get formulaic. It’s hard to know where my loyalties should lie. Do I write a piece that I know will get laughs and therefore contribute to the success of No Shame? As a board member, I feel a certain responsibility to draw in audiences. But on the other hand, I don’t feel like I’ll grow as a writer if I keep writing the same formula over and over.

Trying new things is hard. I’m always nervous when I do. Really, though, almost everything I’ve ever been nervous about trying has turned out well. I was nervous when I went to Spain for the first time, I was nervous when I went to college, and I was nervous when we bought the house. I wasn’t nervous when I got married, because I think I got that out of my system when I signed that 30-year mortgage.

So yeah…I guess I should try new things.

Please don’t remind me about the time I tried to move a stereo from a high shelf. I don’t want to talk about it.