Did I Write That?
Today I am grateful for the sensational smell of flowers and trees in bloom. I am also grateful for my husband Darcy and our strong marriage.
Another part of Dani Shapiro's Still Writing that resonated with me was how she sometimes feels removed, almost distant from her own writing when she is done with it. "Who wrote that?" I have known a similar feeling when I go back to read poems or essays. "That came from me?" Granted, it's easier for a poet to forget a few lines in a poem and less likely that a novelist forgets their plot line. But there's also a sense that when a piece of writing is done, it is done. Move on and get immersed in the next story, column, essay, post.
When I go back and read a poem or essay of mine and have this detached reaction, it tells me I did what I could, what I needed to do. I wrote what was meant to be written. That detached feeling may also be telling me I have made progress in moving beyond the emotions that came out as I was writing. There is still much to learn about myself as a writer. Thank you Dani Shapiro for being one of my many teachers.
Shapiro also talked several times about not dismissing the ordinary. Pay attention to the little things. That is my daily goal. Starting my day with a focus on gratitude helps me notice the ordinary. Then, I realize that the ordinary is anything but. The ordinary is the true stuff of life. The ordinary is where wonder and joy reside.
Today I will pay attention to the ordinary.
Another part of Dani Shapiro's Still Writing that resonated with me was how she sometimes feels removed, almost distant from her own writing when she is done with it. "Who wrote that?" I have known a similar feeling when I go back to read poems or essays. "That came from me?" Granted, it's easier for a poet to forget a few lines in a poem and less likely that a novelist forgets their plot line. But there's also a sense that when a piece of writing is done, it is done. Move on and get immersed in the next story, column, essay, post.
When I go back and read a poem or essay of mine and have this detached reaction, it tells me I did what I could, what I needed to do. I wrote what was meant to be written. That detached feeling may also be telling me I have made progress in moving beyond the emotions that came out as I was writing. There is still much to learn about myself as a writer. Thank you Dani Shapiro for being one of my many teachers.
Shapiro also talked several times about not dismissing the ordinary. Pay attention to the little things. That is my daily goal. Starting my day with a focus on gratitude helps me notice the ordinary. Then, I realize that the ordinary is anything but. The ordinary is the true stuff of life. The ordinary is where wonder and joy reside.
Today I will pay attention to the ordinary.
Comments
Post a Comment