Answering the Email

Woo. My first blogpost where I answer questions that get sent to me. This way seems as good as any to fill the space on this blog.

First off, got this email from my buddy Greg-

Hockey... When are you going to review how you did on your season predictions you did in sep/oct post, hhhuuuummummmm?

@#$#. Okay. The reason I don't review my season predictions is because, well, because they're always horribly wrong. So instead of spotlighting my ignorance and foolishness, I try to hide it by pretending it never happened.

But I'll always do what the people want. So from back in October 2006, here's how I predicted the Western Conference-

1. Anaheim Ducks
2. Calgary Flames
3. Nashville Predators
4. San Jose Sharks
5. Detroit Red Wings
6. Minnesota Wild
7. Dallas Stars
8. Edmonton Oilers

Okay, not bad. I got 7 out of the 8 teams in the playoffs. How about the Eastern Conference?

1. Ottawa Senators
2. New Jersey Devils
3. Carolina Hurricanes
4. Philadelphia Flyers
5. Buffalo Sabres
6. New York Rangers
7. Atlanta Thrashers
8. Montreal Canadiens

Not as good. I got 5 out of 8, and I picked the Flyers to do well and they ended up the worst team in the league.

Okay - how about my favorite team, the LA Kings?

13. Los Angeles Kings

Okay - I picked them to be 13th out of 15 teams in the conference. They ended up 14th, so pretty close.

I suppose I need to make my predictions about the playoffs. I'm rooting for Buffalo, because there's something nice about a team that's suffered so many heart-breaking years finally breaking through and getting a championship. But man. I don't see how anyone can beat the Ducks. They're just stacked. I hope I'm wrong, but they look unbeatable right now.

Onto the next question, a writing question-

As a writer do you get writer's block often?

Writer's block is a weird one. It's been so hyped up and mystified to the point that I think people are too quick to label anything less than pure genius on the first try as writer's block.

Me, personally, I've never had anything that I'd consider writer's block. I've had times where all the ideas I came up with were awful. One could argue that those times are still ongoing. But whenever I hit a point where I'm not happy with what I'm coming up with, I like to stop, take a step back, and get some perspective. Stop writing for a day. Just think about the idea some. Go read a book or watch a movie. Seeing other ideas in motion can spark an idea in your own head.

And be patient. Diamonds don't come out of the ground as engagement rings. They have to be dug up by impoverished amputees, fought over by angry warlords, traded by Djimon Hounsou for his kids, before they reach the local shopping mall. Your great ideas won't necessarily come out of the ground ready to go - you may even think they have no substance to them. But as you think about it and it germinates, it might spring new ideas and directions.

One last tip that I used to do - might not work for you, but something I did. I kept a notebook where I jotted down ideas, thoughts, questions, jokes, stupid things I saw, etc. Never used the notebook for anything other than random stuff. Then when I had times when I didn't like my ideas, I'd flip open the book - and voila. There was a bunch of stuff I could steal guilt-free.

Hope this helps!