What's in a name?

Apologies to Shakey for pilfering his words for the title of this entry, but it seems that I am incapable of original thought just now. Last night, during a rare foray into the seething mass of adverbs and POV switches that is Tyrone's NaNoWriMo novel, I hit upon what seemed to be a subtle and nicely mellifluous title for it. For a happy moment this inspired happy daydreams of seeing said title on said novel (now with its adverbs under control), and made me think that one day I might actually get the damned thing finished. This was nice, as ice ages have passed more swiftly than I am currently editing.

However (and of course there is a however), a quick jaunt to Google was typically disheartening. As you have no doubt surmised, a book of the name I had hit on already exists (as near as damn it, except that the existing tome prefers a definite article). I realise that this shouldn't matter. But incidents of this nature bring out my worst dog-in-the-manger side (no dog jokes, thank you), and now I like the title a billion times better for knowing I can't use it.

In the spirit of this post, I will close with the words of another. As Captain Darling so wisely said: 'Bugger.'

War haiku

Failed pincer movement:
flesh-flayed hand twitches for life
but grasps only death.

Gee willikers

Have I really been away since February? Good lord, how time does fly (and yes, I do know that's a spanking great cliché but I'm rather out of practice at this writing malarkey). I have no amusing anecdotes with which to regale you or to explain my prolonged absence; I've merely been indulging in a prolonged spell of lassitude after dragging myself through the gloopy bog of turgid tedium that was my last 'creative' 'writing' course. I would tell you all about it, but if I start harping on about it I will only get annoyed at myself for having wasted the time on money on it in the first place. Well, not so much the time, as I ignored most of the exercises. Which may explain why I got so little out of it. But the exercises were about as inspiring as cold rice pudding. So I ignored them. It was a viciously boring circle.

That's quite enough from me. Have a haiku instead.