I don't...

From Take Ten for Writers


I don't eat beans.
I don't ride a bike.
I don't flirt with men.
I don't like to clean
I don't like messy spaces.
I don't like to pay other people to clean (because I feel like a slacker)
I don't know how to play chess very well.
I don't play Scrabble well because I get too hung up on the words and insufficiently concerned about the points.
I don't want to live in California anymore.
I don't like suspense and I'm iffy about surprises.
I don't have the ability to stay up past midnight anymore.
I don't remember what my favorite color was when I was nine.
I don't remember something, but I can't remember what it is.
I don't know if I like to write for ten minutes without stopping.
I don't like the way long nails make me have to change the way I type.
I don't like to handwrite when the writing is good and I don't like to type when the writing is tough.
I don't want to write a story without an outline because I fear the unknown.
I don't want to drive a minivan anymore.  I don't want to pay for a new car either.
I don't like ANY PART of doing the laundry, except the part where I have clean clothes available to be worn.
I don't like sitting too low for my desk, but I do like that I just adjusted my chair to be more comfortable.
I don't know if I'm ready... sorry, lost my train of thought.
I don't know why I dream of an old crush declaring his undying love for me in different ways several times a year.  Those dreams are so vivid.
I don't like blue very much.  Unless it's turquoise.
I don't know why I'm so sleepy when I drink so much coffee.
I don't wear overalls.
I don't play an instrument anymore. I used to play oboe and clarinet a lot, but I actually never learned very much about music and once I got to a certain level of proficiency I lost interest in getting any better.
I don't know why I just had so much trouble spelling proficiency.
I don't own a winter coat anymore, but I do have several hats, gloves, and scarves.  I don't own winter boots, either, just fashion boots, which barely count.
I don't ski.  I don't want to ski.  Skiing scares me and I did not especially enjoy skiing the one time I went.
I don't run, either, but that's basically laziness.
I don't know why this blog has 41 pageviews when I have never promoted it except the one time in how not to write a novel
I don't have a hero.  I think I have people I admire but I don't have a hero in the way that I understand a hero.  A hero is a person who you really admire and would like to emulate, a person who has special qualities that one can try to foster in oneself, a person who is superior in every meaningful way.  I don't have a hero.  I have ordinary friends and acquaintances I admire, but no one who overwhelms me with their greatness.  Even Queen Elizabeth I is not really a hero to me, although she was great in many ways and I have tremendous respect and admiration for her.  But I wouldn't want to be her.

And that concludes my ten minutes.  Interesting exercise, this book might be worth keeping out.