A Writer's Notebook, Day Seven-Hundred-And-Ten

 I am feeling quite good about the direction of my work at the moment.  First, the story is taking off again, though I am still taking my time with it.  The shape of the ending is becoming much clearer to me, and it is also apparent that their is more to happen which will allow the conclusion to land.  It is often a journey to discover the way that a story shapes up, and I am quite intrigued at the way this one is twisting about.  I did, as I said, feel a bit lost with it for a few, but slowing down and appreciating the journey itself has provided me a way to connect with the work.  I think the biggest problem is stressing on the idea that I do not know where I am going or what to do next.  It is a matter of trusting the story to come, and believing that it may already be prepared even if I do not know the entirety of it yet.  I often have a sense of it coming together, which I've discussed before, and which I can't say is planned, but which is also a clear culmination of even subtle elements that I was never certain about when writing them.  I have been having that sense with the story quite a bit, and that seems to be a positive, I think.  One thing that I know is that this ending will take the story in a very different direction.  Elements of the story will change meaning in a literal sense, and it is a question of whether that is a satisfying conclusion in terms of the setup of the story.  The conflict that it resolves is one that exists under the whole story, but is not directly dealt with, while their is a superficial conflict that will be made irrelevant by these events, and I am hoping the whole thing comes together.  It is a question of whether their is enough groundwork laid to allow the reader to follow the twist, feeling that it is a surprise while recognizing it as making sense in context.  

In addition, I'm making some strides contemplating the idea for a collection of connected poems.  The general idea is thematic and draws on a sort of philosophical perspective, but I am also recognizing certain narrative elements that I think may frame it as a piece.  As well, I came to see the central question I need to answer in order to be able to approach this work, which is largely about the intent of the piece, though that is a very broad view of what I am contemplating.  In part, the issue is that I am seeking to create a book that is intending to be a journey through an experience of transformation, in specific a kind of progression through levels of understanding from neophyte to master, though that is not intended to suggest any sort of hubris or a notion of my being a master, as a large contention that I am hoping to convey through this is connected to the idea that mastery is always the start of the journey of learning.  At the same time, in order to create a work that has the kind of connection to transformation I am discussing, I need to consider the experience that underlies this and how I can approach this authentically, and in a way that is intended to impact me, to facilitate an experience of transformation for myself, for without that at the center, it would be dishonest, and I don't think any such work could be effective in the way I aim for this to be, so the issue I am contemplating is about that central thrust and how to approach it, what specifically it becomes about, but within the context of myself, not just limiting my contemplation to communicating these ideas but using the creation of this work as a deeper process in my own life.