nThis week’s prompt concerns strange or useless talents. Well, I suppose we’re in for another week of short blog posts.
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nI can’t think of any particular talent I have that would fall under strange or useless. Actually, one might consider me bereft of most talent, so I cherish the few that I do claim and refuse to call them strange or useless.
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nI can’t dance. When I sing, dogs howl. My musical prowess leaves much to be desired. My drawing skills are considered better than most, but not good enough to take on the road. I have no particular gift for working with animals: what skill I have I worked hard to acquire. I tried pottery, a 6-week course. It was fun, but there was no real spark. If it’s green, I’ll kill it. So, gardening’s out. I dislike digging in the dirty anyway, and I detest yard work. I’m not particularly insightful or perceptive, but a few folks have mentioned that I’m pretty good at cutting through bullshit. My mother taught me to sew–and do it well–but I loathe sewing. And embroidery. I’m also an indifferent (okay, awful) housekeeper.
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nNope, I’m not particularly talented.
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nSo, what can I do? I consider myself a decent cook, not great and nowhere near “Master Chef” caliber. But what I make usually doesn’t suck. I consider myself a pretty damned good writer. Obviously. If I thought my writing skills were abysmal, I wouldn’t be doing this for a living. I consider myself a good editor, too.
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nYeah, I’m limited. And I hear voices. For instance, I heard my grandmother’s voice on the way to her funeral. She never spoke to me again. However, the voices I usually hear are the characters who manifest in my books. My head’s a crowded place. But that’s probably not what one would consider a talent, just a psychotic disorder.
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nI’ll be taking more art classes beginning this week, one class a month exploring different media and techniques. I’m looking forward to it. Perhaps I’ll find that divine spark, that sense that yes, this is what makes my heart sing.n
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