STUFF

 Everybody's walking round, full of their own stuff. They worry over it, plan around it, talk about it, live it, cry it, want it. I have my stuff, and you have your stuff. My stuff is me; your stuff is you. Sometimes we have stuff in common. Stuff is what gets us out of bed in the morning, it's also what sends us tired as hell to sleep. It's all about stuff. Some of us want others to tune into our stuff. To feel something for it. To love it, if possible; or even to pay us for it. And I'm not talking about old furniture and discarded books. Writing is stuff, acting is stuff, playing a musical instrumental produces stuff, a naked body is stuff, poems are stuff, and so are screenplays. It's all stuff. Basically, everybody's stuff is unique, or at least that's part of the stuff some us believe. If you're a writer, what you're doing (really) is asking people to take time off from their stuff so they can focus on your stuff. Hey, look at my stuff! In a way, what you're telling them is: my stuff is better/more beautiful/more interesting/more precious/etc than your stuff. Well, all I can say is, if you manage to get their attention you better make damn sure it is, otherwise they'll be telling you to "get stuffed". If you want an audience for your stuff, no matter what it is, you have to accept the fact that fundamentally the world doesn't really give a damn about you or your stuff. Your job as an creative artist (or whatever), is to make them give a damn. And that's the real stuff. 

- Billy Marshall Stoneking