I went silent.   Almost a week.  Perhaps by the time I finish this post, let it marinate and then publish it, there may be more than a week passed me by.

I will blame summer. 

Too much free time brings an emptiness of schedule casting an odd malaise of soul and spirit I guess.   But I will also blame Sons of Anarchy, since I have lost 66 hours this week watching seasons 1-5.  That is a lot of time gone, yet I hesitate to say wasted.   Let me get back to that in a moment.

I will often argue that reality tv has killed tv, but I am wrong.  I truly believe some of the best shows in history are on right now.  The depth of the stories and the characters on so many shows contrast the vast wasteland of watching fake lives on tv...

Here is my list of what I watch, just to give context to my thoughts today.  Actual list.

Mad Men
The Mentalist
Elementary
Sherlock
The Walking Dead
Game of Thrones

So, let us begin.

How the heck does a writer knock out anti-heroes that do what these shows have them do?  Hank Moody, Sherlock, any one of the Sons, any one of the Game of Thrones ensemble... brilliant at times, all of them. 

So wasting 66 hours is not really a waste, because it gave me a hard look at how lame any character I have ever attempted to create really is.   Darn it.

Why don't I write?  How can I compete with that brilliance?