So I stopped my whining and remembered how I like to finish things, and so daily, before I do other fun things (namely knit), I write. It helps having a reward.
I hit the 300-page mark the other day. I don't know if what I'm writing is good or is crap. It doesn't matter. What matters is getting the words on the page instead of letting them loiter in my brain. What matters is getting the first draft done. Without that, there's nothing to revise.
I make myself remember that Pen on Fire was revised a jillion times.
And while I like Pinot Grigio, Jordie, drinking and writing doesn't mix for me. I have a glass of wine and suddenly I feel too expansive, too relaxed. And I tend to write early in the day rather than later. When I keep my writing for later, it rolls over onto the next day. My nights are about hanging around with Travis--and Brian, if he doesn't have a gig or a rehearsal, and if I'm not teaching.
Mornings or afternoons work best. The other day I took the laptop, went into the bedroom, sat on the rocker in the corner of the room, and wrote.
I just dropped Travis off at school and am back and ready to go.
Hey, don't forget the show today: Dennis Palumbo, therapist to those at odds creatively, lit agent John Ware (5 p.m., www.kuci.org).
Signing off.....till later....
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2 comments:
Well, to tell the truth (and I'm reluctant to do that publicly) Pinot Grigio doesn't do it for me either. As a rule, I prefer something stronger and to the point. This is when all I have are the words and not the idea. And it seems to me, most of us - most of the time - have it upside down and backwards. That is to say we have the words searching for an idea rather than having the idea first.
I took a writing class once for about 15 minutes. A man - a gentleman to be exact - volunteered to read his piece. His English wasn't great but his theme was and it was expressed clearly and with a primitive charm. Our leader (a retired USC PHD) criticized his English as did three other volunteer critics. I didn't stick around for the fourth.
So let's put the horse before the cart. It makes getting there so much easier.
I like the freshness of the morning. Really appreciate your post - just listened to your interview with Dennis Palumbo - very helpful. Thank you
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