Exhaustion and Withdrawal

I almost forgot how information overload can make you a very exhausted person. It almost feels like a lifetime ago when I last took a Physics or an Organic and Inorganic Chemistry exam back at UP. Sleepless caffeine and nicotine-filled nights, your mind wandering during the day to more “happy thoughts” such as ice cream, cold pizza and beer, or a comfortable bed after a warm soak in the tub. Here I am thinking I was done with that whole lot, turns out it might just get worse.

I finally got hold of a self-help, fiction-writing book last week at National Bookstore, just across the street from Ateneo. After looking for, and not finding Toe’s recommended book by Brenda Ueland, I ended up holding the last copy of Scene and Structure, by Jack Bickham. Being the last copy, I had to approach customer service to find out if there was any way I could order the book from one of their branches. After about half an hour of trying to accommodate my request, the lady shook her head, and I gave up. Good thing Ellie was there and said she’ll just pay for the book, after all, she told me that it’d be nice that I’d finally improve my writing skills.

As my habit, I try and finish a book whenever I get my hands on it. This book isn’t an exception. It deals on the importance of scenes, sequels, and how an aspiring fiction-writer should keep an eye on the proper logical flow of the story. It’s a very interesting read, and I found myself unable to concentrate on other things whenever I’m not at work. The only thing I didn’t realize is, I was cramming information into my head, and I was coming up with lots and lots of ideas, that I would sometimes find myself needing a dose of Paracetamol to put a stop on a looming headache.

To top it all off, I had a first yesterday. First time for me to sleep for 13 hours, wake up, eat something, then go back to sleep for another 5 hours. That’s when I realized I needed to slow down and take a break. I’m not in a bookstore wherein I’ve got a time limit to finish a book I’m very interested in. Well, at least it might do me good in the long run, if it helps me put more sense into something I’ve been wanting to put into writing for a long time. I’m still thinking of where to put the work though, if it’s here in this blog, or in another blog altogether, and I’ll just put a link here. We’ll see.

Food for thought: I find it really really weird that I’ve been sick for the past week and a half. I’ve been trying to quit smoking, and I’ve been getting sick. I mean, what gives? I wasn’t sick at all when I was smoking, and then when I quit, I get sick? Ellie said it was the first time she heard me lose my voice since we met. And to think I went and screamed and shouted during EDSA Dos. One of my friends has an explanation: withdrawal symptoms. If me getting sick IS due to withdrawal, then it sucks big time. I just hope I can put up with this until I get rid of the nasty habit.