A very stupid story, just to annoy you.

Once upon a time there was a dad who was also a writer, who was up way too late writing stories for a vocal+ contest about aquariums.

Normally he wrote cheesy horror. Yeah that's kinda... fishy. But most days he simply couldn't... spawn anything better. Still, he wasn't sure how well that would fit the contest theme, but he figured what the hell, why... knot? He might as well .... get his feet wet and test the waters.

Well he wrote a few stories around that aquarium theme, a three part miniseries actually and a stand alone. He tried to... mako sure he wasn't... filtering too much. And he hoped these stories wouldn't ... tank. He hoped they'd... make a splash. But he was drinking while he wrote. In fact he.... drank like a fish. And towards the end of his last entry he realized he was... in over his head. One might even say he was... floundering. See, he'd broadened the scope of his story to far, and he had seen the plot kind of... drifting away.

He didn't know how to.... reel it back in.

Too many grand ideas were... floating through his mind. Trying to write coherently was like... swimming against the current. it was hard not to... drift.

Any fellow writers on here ever been... in the same boat?

Well, no use trying to hide it any more. The dad in the story? he's me. Yeah, I guess that was obvious. I'm not gonna try to claim... anemone-ty. I'm not that big a... clownfish.

I hope you don't think I'm some... bass hole for being a little misleading. It's just embarassing is all.

Well I felt my story was just kinda... sinking. Almost like I couldn't keep my head above water.

But I had to finish the story, even if it wasn't... smooth sailing. I mean, there was a chance, however small, that if I finished the story, it could place in the contest! I mean the first place winner stands to take home 1,000 .... sand dollars. That kinda money would really... turn the tide for a broke dad like me. I mean, not to get to... blubbery, but i've got three little... urchins of my own, and they need clean diapers and... holy mackerel are those expensive!

And yeah I know the win is a long shot, but it would've been a waste not to try.

So I had to make it through the.... whirlpool of my thoughts, and... anchor down a good ending.

So I... dove right into the writing. But remember, I was.... sloshed while trying to write, and that's not a great set up. My thoughts were... murky. Most of what I... dredged up was laughably bad. I was a bit lost in the... seaweeds. It felt like... a wash. But who do I have to blame? only myself. not like I drank on accident. It was totally on... porpoise.

Yep... I was up the creek with out a paddle... perch-ed on the edge of my seat, trying to type but at a loss for words. but I'm the one who put me there. What I'm saying is I was... up to the gills in my own mistakes.

Around this time my wife asked what I was working on. She wanted to... sea. I told her I wasn't in the mood to chat about it. I was getting myself kind of... anchor-y, and I didn't want to take it out on her. I told her "Sorry for being such a... crab. And I'm not trying to be... shellfish, but I really need to focus on this writing. I can't talk about it. Well she... clammed up and I felt bad. I wouldn't have blamed her if she... conched me onthe head. I realized that the contest wasn't that big of a deal. I wanted to get back to just writing... for the halibut. Writing for a deadline, and writing anything competitive, that just.... drains all the fun out of it.

And I had been really focused on that contest-- bought the whole thing... hook line and sinker! what an un... fathomable waste of emotinal energy!

But I mean, come on! my stories aren't that... deep. I definitely don't want to put more... pressure on myself than is really necessary. I just wanna have fun writing. Well once I realized that, it was like I finally... broke through the surface. I put on some music, a mellow... tuna. And then the writing felt less forced. It was like a... ray of hope. Everything just kinda.... flowed. It was... smooth sailing from then on.

Now, I don't know if this is... kelpful at all for you. And it's not like I'm trying to... trout all this from the rooftops or anything, it's probably not worth... herring for everybody else. but I just wanna remind myself of this little... pearl of wisdom I learned today so I don't forget again: self, don't take yourself too seriously. The goal isn't to try and be a damned... starfish. It's just to have fun and a little bit of self exploration. YOu don't always have to... snail it-- sometimes you can just put your... seal of approval on something you can be atleast a little bit proud of. something that shows a bit of your... sole.

... sand I swear I'm not... trawling you guys. Not trying to... bait you. Yall are my... piers. I pray to... Cod that everyone here has a safe and blessed night. be... whale my friends!

In a few... minnows I'll be asleep. wish me luck with tomorrow's hangover. I expect a serious... haddock.