Writer. Not.

I'm always a little edgy when it's my turn to write for our infamous "Writing Wednesday". The reason is simple enough - I feel inadequate. Sure, I believe anyone can give writing tips - you don't have to be Stephen King to have an opinion on what writing is. But... I do think it is an advantage if you actually do write. And you see, I don't.

This isn't true. I write all the time. Today, I've written two reports - one on the Japanese government's reaction to the crisis, and one on a potential new energy policy in Japan. I've also written ten-ish emails, a couple of notes-to-self, and a Facebook update or two. And it's only been a few days since I wrote a blog post for my giraffabilitable blog.

But fiction writing - my true passion? Haven't touched upon it in ages. The last time I remember trying I was in limbo in Norway, not knowing whether I should go back to Japan or not. I thought spending my time writing might be an idea. I was wrong. I didn't have it in me at the time.

Before that, I think I tried writing something in a Tokyo Starbucks way before earthquakes had started messing with my mind. I ended up reorganizing my hard-drive instead.

And before that..? I can't even remember. I'm terrifically good at not writing, actually.

If I was more flexible, I'd kick myself. But then I'd probably stretch a muscle.

Everyone who knows something about writing - including Stephen King - will tell you that you need to write, regularly, to be a writer. You have to overcome whatever reasons - be they real or made-up - you have for not writing. And then do it. Just... eh. Nike would sue me. Simply do it.

Had I been a real writer, I would have thought of this blog post as a plot. I've introduced conflict. I've made it gradually worse. And now I should bridge it back into a solution, and ideally a happy ending. I should tell you how I have a plan, a resolve, a resolution. How I will start writing a given number of words, daily, from tomorrow. And then report back in within a couple of months, describing my success.

But I just told you I'm not a writer.

I will not start writing a given number of words tomorrow. Or rather, I will, but again - these words will be about the economic recovery of Japan post-crisis or whether solar power will replace nuclear power in this country. It might sound like science-fiction, but it reality it is neither science nor fiction. Well, ideally, it should be closer to the first than the second...

I will, however, continue to assemble impressions that - had I been a writer - might one day be useful for a book. I will continue to work hard in attempt of earning another job that I like (though one in a more seismically stable zone this time), which some day could have been the job I took time off from to write. If I were a writer. I will continue to every now and then write smaller stuff in a vague hope that I might make it into a longer story sometime. And I will most likely write blog posts akin to this - but with the hopeful twist at the end - once every year or so. Many of them will have resolutions I won't keep.

If I were a writer I would end this by saying that I am not a writer - yet. But instead, I will end it with something completely different:

Floriography?

There are many ways of writing

Writing with light - photography.

Beauty-writing - calligraphy.

Form writing - typography.

Shake-writing - seismography.

Writing from afar - telegraphy.

Writing the history of history - historiography.

Writing comedy - komoidiagraphy?

"Oh, heavens, no, I'm not a comedy writer. I'm a komoidiagraphist."