I overthink, therefore I overam
Or would that be underam?
I am an excellent overthinker. I even overthink overthinking. This leads to longish bouts of open-mouthed gaping, more calories in than out, and the pinkness of Daisy’s tummy because she knows when to wriggle why is there an r in that word… or is there? on to onto? my lap lap? for prolonged, mindless belly rubs.
There’s a name for this state of inertia in the writing culture and I often hear writers go on and on about it which sort of invalidates the condition, doesn’t it? I do not believe any good comes of calling something blocked. I mean it sounds permanent and we all know that if you think something’s permanent, it is.
Just look at Schrödinger’s cat
I kind of forgot how pleasant it is to write this blog. If it’s half as nice to read as it is to write we’re both lucky – a word I could overthink to death – I mean you’re lucky you didn’t break your leg and you’re also lucky you didn’t break both.
Also why does the semi-colon key get the lower-case baby finger of your right hand when it is a relatively minor and largely misunderstood piece of punctuation – although beautiful when used correctly – and the tricky little apostrophe is one giant leap to its right.
I mean, seriously. The logic is fucked. Who was Qwerty anyway?
I am a typographer by trade. I even spent a floaty few months setting hot-metal type, and if you’re in for a tidbit, get a load of this: The metal letters are arranged into little compartments in what is called a California Job Case. There are two of these in front of the typesetter, one on the work surface and another on a shelf directly above. The above one contains all the capital letters. It is known as The Upper Case.
Time for one more? Because I don;t know about you but I find this shit fascinating
You know the saying mind your p’s and q’s? That’s from hot-metal typesetting. Since the letters are backwards, it’s confusing and sometimes difficult to distinguish between those characters because one minute your brain is seeing things correctly and the next minute your brain is in reverse. The saying could have easily been mind your b’s and d’s but it doesn’t have the same ring, boes it?
I once wrote it all into a story. Do you feel an except coming on?
I am more prolific than even Mrs. Christie. I write on a sturdy manual typewriter, moving to the laptop at the final stages only. My work requires no editorial input or copy editing, and no typographic grooming is necessary – I am a typographer by trade and take care of widows and orphans on the fly – which I know sounds dastardly.
I sometimes put things into stories to keep them safe. Such is the great privilege of writers. We can preserve ourselves in words.
