A Writer's Notebook, Day One-Thousand-And-Sixty-Eight

A few nights back I was writing about how I didn't always feel that the poems I write are all that valuable and spent my blog exploring the value and reasoning for continuing on through those times.  Tonight, I felt myself on the opposite end of that, with several new pieces that feel exciting and, possible, important, at least in terms of my own journey as a poet.  It feels as if they are new, are pushing in a direction that feels significant.  I do not usually push my work in one direction or another, but it is natural that it changes and develops, and the times when a new idea or a different way of approaching the work emerges it is a surprise to me.  It is also, I think, important for me, at this moment, to remember that I was, just a bit ago, feeling stuck and was, at times, doing the work solely out of commitment.  I know, even in those moments, that this low period is often important, and often comes before a positive shift.  I think that my previous post on this shows my awareness that those times are important as a step towards progress, but thinking back on that tonight feels even more important.

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