I’ve been sitting and studying the potential of this post for the last two hours. I had all sorts of ideas, inspired by an essay I read from Nathan Evans at Hippocampus Magazine.
You should read it.
He talks about first kisses, and the unexpected effects. And, deep in the middle of his essay is a message about the sweet taste of love.
I thought I’d write about my unexpected firsts, about how love came up on me all quiet and sneaky. And how it still comes, in waves.
But the lines read unfinished.
And raw.
And were maybe a study, in events, meant only for me.
You know?
Sometimes when we write, it’s because we have to see the words fall onto the screen, or onto the paper, in a comprehensible way so that our mind really gets it — whatever “it” is, that critical message we’ve been missing for weeks or months on end.
So, the early drafts of this post were an exercise in listening and understanding, and what the last two hours of writing yielded was a gift: that often, the quiet and profound revelations in life show up in unexpected places, even (and especially) when I’m not paying attention.
Where did your writing take you this week?
I love this post and Nathan Evan’s piece. It came to me too early, and after not sleeping enough, tired and unaware, it took me to a nice place. Thanks, Christi.
This week my writing had the same effect, worn from a final, final draft, I sat back at four am and felt exhausted and saited. It was finally “done,” or as done as it could be for now 🙂
Florence, I’m glad the post popped up for you at the right time. I just love that essay from Nathan Evans. And, what a great feeling–to see a piece to its end. I hope you had a great rest of the weekend.
Christi, I know exactly when you mean. You have captured simply and beautifully the relationship with oneself that writing nurtures. As I got to the end of your words, I could see you sitting at your computer, a smile on your face, ready for the rest of the day.
Where did my writing take me this week? I have to think about that… It was an unusually busy week, as I finished up some deadline work and prepared for the fall teaching term. I do feel a bit more confident, knowing I’m keeping on top of (some) of it all, but next week I want more of the serenity that comes from this post of yours.
The Nathan Evans piece is wonderful.
Lisa, Being on top of things is a serene feeling in itself. Thanks for your comment, and I hope the beginning of your semester goes super smooth!
Yes, yes. Several famous writers are quoted as saying something like, “I write to see what I think.” (I’ll add you to that list.)
Where did my writing take me this week? Into mostly uncharted territory — for me. I’ve been writing short stories. I have novelist friends who feel no compulsion to write shorts, but I have too many story ideas I know don’t need to be explored in the long form.
Linda, I just saw a link on Twitter to a great post about the rise of shorts on Kindle–singles, as they call them. Seems like there’s a lot of opportunity in the eBook world for short stories, especially for self-pubbed authors. Follow your gut, I say!
This week (and I’ll be discussing more in the post I’m working on today) I’m working hard to remember that feeling of writing for the joy of it, and not for the end result of publishing or even showing a single person. . . not so easy when I’ve been mired in the “will this ever be published?” game for a few years now.
Nina, I think you and I are on the same plane lately. I got caught up in trying to force some stories into publication this summer and was disappointed and disenchanted for a while. Time to get back to basics. I look forward to reading your post.