Do you ever find yourself with what seems like a permanent case of writer's block?
John Green discussed this feeling in a vlog titled "Cheyenne. Wyoming". Now, John Green got that delightful state and capital pair from a 1998 movie called "Rushmore". He states that the movie is set during the Vietnam War.
A character is asked, "How long you been in country?", and the soldier replies, "I ain't even here, sergeant, I'm in Cheyenne, Wyoming."
John Green identified with the soldier, and so Cheyenne is the place that his mind visits when he's deeply immersed in a project. I found this interesting for two reasons. One, it has my name in it and that makes my narcissistic tendencies flare. Two, the more important reason, I also find myself in the 'mythical' Cheyenne, Wyoming. It's a place I can retreat to when I'm thinking of things to write or when life is too overbearing and I just need to gather my thoughts.
My Cheyenne can be a silly book, my cat, or dank meme youtube videos. Everyone's Cheyenne, Wyoming is different, even if the spirit of absent-mindedness is the same. Going to Cheyenne is something that can overshadow your daily life. A place you live in, if not physically, until you have sufficiently written that last chapter of your book or finished that painting you started 6 months ago or cleaned your house like you've been meaning to for three weeks.
Making room in your life for Cheyenne - like being mostly absent from conversations with loved ones or neglecting mundane duties like haircuts or exercise- can be hard. As John Green said, it does mean that certain pieces of your intellectual and emotional will not be available until you can return from Cheyenne.
You can make your visit much more enjoyable by identifying what it is you want to have completed when you decide to leave. This will speed up your progress and give you goals that bring you back to your real home, whether it be Troy, Alabama or otherwise.
Welcome to Cheyenne, Wyoming. Population: you. What do you want to achieve while you're visiting?
To see John Green's video:
