Writing cannot be rushed. A story that stops, stops for a reason. You must write something. Set down words in the permanence of ink. Type sentences without the luxury of backspace. Scribble lines in pencil on your desk, your wall, your syllabus. When all else fails, write in marker upon your own arm.
---
What would it be like to have one arm? Surely if Def Leppard could carry on with a one-armed drummer, a writer could carry on with one arm.
---
Wherever it is that you write, consider the images tacked to the wall. For example, on my wall: Das gekrimmte Schachbrett, "Lemuel’s Blessing" by W.S. Merwin, a printed sign that says "Stop doing that and write something.", a photograph of my daughter at age 2 during Easter, a long quote by Georg Foster from Errinerung aus dem Jahre 1790, a map of Blue Earth and Nicollet Counties, a self-interrogation list for the revision process, the MSU academic calendar for 2008-2009 (approved March 2007), a Convenience Bag for use during incidents of airsickness, and two portraits of "Potato Guys" drawn by my daughter. Some of this needs to come down. I get used to seeing things, then I get distracted by the fact that I am used to seeing the same things. Too many inanimate things add up and take on a force almost like sentience. They are aware of me, and I of them. This is my years-long ongoing struggle. The power of things to impose themselves, which exists only and completely in my own head, can distract and annoy to a degree that I cannot describe. It seems limitless.
2009/02/12
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
A Slowly Growing List of Things to Look Forward To When You Have a Child
- Every day is either Christmas or Halloween or Birthday or Easter
- Leave those cats alone! They're going to scratch you and it will hurt
- You cannot lie under circumstances, but nor can you tell the literal truth
- Geez that kid is sharp
- Can I have cake? Can I have cake? Can I have cake? Huh? Daddy? Can I have cake?
- For the last time, stop asking me!
- Noticing the growth: taller and a bit heavier to carry
- Children's television shows
- Food. Wasted food
- Remembering that you once acted this way yourself
- Watching where the both of you are going
- The joy of hearing the word "fuck" being used experimentally, and justifying this experimentation by saying "Well they learn it eventually"
- TANTRUMS
- Sitting down together on the living room floor, a mess of blocks & cars & plush Care Bears strewn around you, discussing the complexities of each car's identity, its name, and why it is so humorous
- Having to take responsibility for someone else for a change
- More frustration than you're prepared for
- Wicked cackling
- Drawings of potato guys
- Learning about the world all over again
- Circular Logic
- Unexpected hugs and words put beautifully together out of context
- Waking up after 4 hours of sleep, and unexpectedly having to confront shit, in more than one place, including the carpet, a big toe, a butt, a bed, a toilet seat, and underpants
2 comments:
Cool blog! If you like dragons you should visit my blog: tarterrior.blogspot.com! It's a blog about my book series that I am going to get published soon. It has excerpts from the first book, and bits and pieces of the other books, as well.
You should have seen it last summer. I couldn't tell you what the fuck I was thinking.
Post a Comment