A Writer's Notebook, Day Three-Hundred-And-Fifty-Seven

Writing so many poems, it may only be natural that I sometimes wonder if I am losing something by not allowing myself a bit more of a break.  It is often said that down time can be important for creativity, that fallow periods can lead to greater works.  Considering how often I've heard such comments, a part of me certainly does consider this when I am finding it difficult to connect with my writing. 

I do not doubt that taking time off from creative work is often important for a writer in recharging their creative energy, and I would suggest that I do take a lot of time off from my work each day.  I only really am writing for the period in the morning and the evening when I am at the computer.  While I might have ideas in my mind percolating, I don't spend most of the day dwelling on that work.  Of course, this is not the same as taking time off from writing for a period, but I have not yet reached a day when I just can't write another poem/

I also tend to think that this attitude conflicts, a bit, with certain aspects of the way I think about writing a poem.  One of my teachers, the poet Thomas Lux, was found of saying that "a poem is a made thing."  By this, he meant that it was not pure inspiration, or some magical talent, but instead a craft that can be taught. The poem is not a gift, but something that is created through the labor of the writer.  Writing a poem is a job, and it is a matter of becoming proficient at the skills involved.

From that demystified perspective, writing each day is a matter of doing the work.  It is an acknowledgement that being a poet is labor, along with the acceptance of that labor as part of the daily act of being alive.  Most work is part of everyday life for those who do it.  To look at writing as anything different is a disservice to the writers who came before me, denying that they had to do difficult work in order to make the poems that I love.  By working each day, I am reminded of this, and I am also doing what I must to constantly improve as a craftsman.  Indeed, when I take time to look back at the work I have been doing, I can see that progression, the ultimate proof that writing each day has certainly been good for me, even if it might not work for everyone.