Well begun is not half done. Not even close. But it’s a start.
So, there’s been a little writing this week. A couple small poems started, waiting to see if they lead anywhere. One is a spoken word poem about intrinsic self worth. Yesterday morning I saw a couple Turkey Vultures on the peak of the barn roof and it made me think about a haiku –
Two Turkey Vultures
Sitting on the old barn roof
Scan for cat’s dead moles
Yeah, that last line might need a little work, but at least I’m writing something.
I’ve been listening to Ted Talks about storytelling and writing while I work on things that don’t require my full attention this week. I get all inspired and then when I can actually write, I’m too tired. It sucks.
Today my goal is a list of everything I want to be doing, in writing, outside and inside the house. I think it will help me focus on chipping away at my goals.
I’ve also been thinking about how the root of great writing is storytelling. I grew up with a father who told really great stories about his childhood. I think that’s part of what got me interested in writing. I’ve heard of a writing method called the Snowflake method. Someone told me about it once and the way they explained it, you start by writing down your story as if you were telling it to a friend or a small group at a party, to entertain, then you flesh it out, adding character traits, setting, details, etc.
There’s an ehow on how to write using that method here, but that isn’t the way it was initially explained to me. I think I prefer the way it was explained to me. This results in more of a synopsis that you can fill with details.
Overall, I prefer more of an organic method for writing, just starting with an idea and seeing where it leads me.
We looked at a writing method last night in writer’s group that suggested breaking the parts of writing out so that you research at the beginning, then write, then edit, doing things in an exact order.
I personally prefer to research until I reach a sort of escape velocity/ maximum threshold where I have to put pen to paper and start pouring the synthesized ideas out into something new.
One writer pointed out that he prefers to write then see what he needs to know and do the research then. I suspect it’s a recursive process for most of us and while it’s wise to try not to edit while you’re doing the bulk of your writing, the writing and the research will circle around each other.
So, the light is peaking over the horizon and the writing has begun again. I don’t feel quite as blocked but it’s building slowly instead of galloping along. Time for a list and some good old-fashioned elbow grease.
Melora Johnson's Muse 