Memed Squared

To meme or not to meme, um, what is the question?

I think I was tagged for the one that asked 'what song neatly sums up writing for you'? That had me flummoxed, to be honest. I didn't have an answer, not a good one anyway, but reading that particular meme around the blogs was interesting, and then James blew it right out of the water with his inspiring response.

In truth, I'm a bit of a sad git when it comes to taking inspiration from music, however slim. It could be a snippet of a lyric, or a rousing instrumental swell (steady on girls), or a naff emotional beat. Anything with a decent tempo gives me much fuel for thought when I'm on the treadmill. My body will synchronise with the music and give me more drive/determination, especially if I'm pre-occupied with work.

So, alas, no particular song perfectly encapsulates what it means to me to be a writer. All kinds of music are welcome, and used to inspire. Currently enjoying Glasvegas's debut album, which is oddly endearing as the singer proudly croons in his Glaswegian accent, making the lyrics and music that bit sweeter. Here's the opening lines from Daddy's Gone, which bring a lump to my throat: "How you are my hero. How you're never here though. Remember times when you put me on your shoulders. How I wish it was forever you would hold us. Right now I'm too young to know. How in the future it will affect me when you go. You could have had it all. You, me, and mum y`know, anything was possible".

Sniff, cough, ahem, right. The current meme is 'list the top five things you do to procrastinate'. Only five? How about five hundred? Well, I guess email, blogging, surfing net (FaceSpace etc), reading, TV will be standard across the board, so here are some other ways I like to avoid the call to write:-

1. Exercise. A light jog. A quick swim. Even a quick knock up of tennis with t'other half. Nothing too hectic. Gets me out of the house, away from the computer for at least half an hour.

2. Eating. This can be dangerous, especially if I'm rewarding myself with huge slices of dessert after my exercise: "Hey, I did 5k today, I need that cake". And if I haven't done any exercise but am stuffing me gob with sweet: "It's OK, I'll do an extra lap in the pool tomorrow". (shyeah, right)

3. Skype. The free phone call service on the web. Handy when you have relatives overseas, and, surprisingly, for producers who are abroad (and even some in the UK). Not so good when they ask for a video call. Always say 'no'. Or that your webcam is broken.

4. iTunes. This kind of falls into the category of the internet but it's an easy way to browse the latest stuff, find desired tracks and fiddle about with the Genius thingy.

5. Sky Plus. Pause and rewind live TV. Record a whole load of programmes with a touch of a button, then watch at your leisure, practically ensuring that you create your own TV schedule. Oh, how did I survive without it? When you're bored or can't quite summon the energy to work, Sky + is the perfect place to plonk yourself and catch up on three episodes of Dexter. Hey, that counts as 'research and awareness'. That's my story anyway. And I. Am. Sticking. To. It.