Consider This Your New Pornography

I am a writer and an addict, a man of faith and action.  Thirteen months ago I made a life-changing decision to seek help and get sober from an endless array of self-destructive habits including, but not limited to: drinking, smoking, dating emotionally unstable narcissistic women, locking my keys in the car, sleeping with my shoes on, and Internet pornography.

At the time I couldn’t help but believe this was a poor decision—nothing short of insanity, commit me, lock me up and throw away the key—due to the very fact that my writing and creativity thrived at rock bottom.  I wrote some of my best adventures, darkest characters, and heart-bursting romances in those days.

It’s no wonder the world’s greatest authors—Chandler, Poe, Kerouac, Fitzgerald—were drunks, reclusive, and violent.  Writing is a lonely, harrowing job.  I’m currently in the midst of writing my third novel, producing this weekly blog, and compiling a book of short stories—I’ve picked a hell of a year to quit drinking.

Now, I suffer from writer’s block as frequently as a third grader suffers from the common cold and pink eye. I sleep on a borrowed air mattress in an empty apartment and write on my walls, which I’ve turned into chalkboards.  I drink Ginger Ale and Orange Juice instead of Screwdrivers.  I put cream in my coffee instead of Bailey’s.

Over the last year of my life I’ve been in relentless pursuit of enlightenment and contentment, and what I keep coming back to is this:

Writing is what I know.  It is my life.  It is my passion.

The best stories come from experience.  Life gives birth to creativity.  I write best when I write what I know.  Unfortunately, we live in a world where Beer Pong is considered a sport, and voting for the next American Idol then Tweeting about it until four in the morning is comparable to a hard day’s work.  And we wonder why Hollywood keeps giving us remakes and sequels?

Looking for inspiration—start living.  Really living.

Jump out of an airplane.  Take a camping trip in search of Bigfoot.  Go White Water Rafting.  Ask out the prettiest girl in the room.  Quit the job you hate.  Wrestle an alligator.  Go on a road trip with no destination.

Then write about it in your journal, your diary, or your captain’s log.

What you will find here in the coming weeks and months is a tool for inspiration, and what I have to say about writing, being an artist, and living the life you were meant to live.  All that I will share is based on my own personal experience and the experiences of individuals close to my heart.  I will cover everything from my faith in God to addiction and the sex lives of Christians, dinosaurs, broken hearts, and pornography.

This is the world in which I live.  It is not a religious one, but one filled with God’s mad, crazy love for us.  So love what I have to say and come back every week for more, or hate it and sound off about it in the comment section below.  Better yet, start a blog of your own about it.  Good for you—you’re doing what you’re passionate about.  I’ll be one of your most loyal readers.

I hope this blog will inspire you to create, explore, pursue, and live the life intended for you.

Consider this voyeuristic insight into my creativity, spirituality, personal struggles, and never-ending search for enlightenment your new pornography.

© Copyright 2010 Make It MAD