A Writer's Notebook, Day Two-Hundred-And-Fifty-Four
I've had a rather long and frustrating day, on several levels, but I can say that it was a productive day for writing, as I have four or five new pieces, several of which I think are pretty good. I am not entirely certain about them, except for one, I think. I actually wrote two this morning, with three this evening. Yesterday, I didn't feel quite so productive, and was not really all that proud of the work I had come up with, but I knew that doing that work mattered, if only as a way to keep in gear.
In some ways, prolixity is a matter of habit. I have explained this some before. It is about the idea that creating the work is a practice, a discipline, and taking the commitment to that seriously. I don't let a day go by, at this point, that I don't write a new poem. By doing this, I am building that habit and also strengthening my work as a poet. Any poem I write is a chance to learn to be a better writer. That opportunity to learn is fulfilled by continuing to write and by editing and polishing work. Now, I admit that the latter aspect is something I need to improve, as I don't do enough work on revision at the moment, but this is also a function of how much I am writing at this time.
At some point, I am hoping to get myself a bit more organized in order to start sending out work, as well as selecting pieces to prioritize for revision. I have done some work the past few days on a recent piece that I feel is quite close to where I want it, and which I think, may actually work as a sort of short monologue piece. It's narrative poem and the speaker is the character, and I think it has a lot of dramatic potential.
The point, though, is that by working each day on new pieces, I am training an aspect of myself to do this work with greater ease and ability. Neurologically, the act of repeating a set of tasks, of rehearsing, results in the thickening of the myelin that sheaths our nerves. This increase is like added insulation, and can result in greater efficiency of the firing mechanism. As well, it will cause other neurological changes, but I am less familiar with the exact nature of most of those. I can say, though, that the increase in the myelin sheathing can strengthen the abilities connected with the specific neuronal activity. In essence, their is more energy getting through more rapidly, and that increases the throughput of the brain while engaged in that activity. So, by doing it a lot, your brain gets faster and better at it. this is the reason repetition and rehearsal often matter a great deal for performers and athletes, among many others.
By focusing my efforts on writing poetry daily, I am building a very strong sense of language in a way that is different from what is used in other linguistic mediums, or at least that is part of what I think is possible. More tangibly, I have found other things that I believe to be true, and they are largely about the idea that what we often take as the cause, in this case inspiration, is actually a result. I mean, I think that doing so much work has resulted in my being more inspired. At first, it can take significant effort, but eventually it becomes easier,.
In some ways, prolixity is a matter of habit. I have explained this some before. It is about the idea that creating the work is a practice, a discipline, and taking the commitment to that seriously. I don't let a day go by, at this point, that I don't write a new poem. By doing this, I am building that habit and also strengthening my work as a poet. Any poem I write is a chance to learn to be a better writer. That opportunity to learn is fulfilled by continuing to write and by editing and polishing work. Now, I admit that the latter aspect is something I need to improve, as I don't do enough work on revision at the moment, but this is also a function of how much I am writing at this time.
At some point, I am hoping to get myself a bit more organized in order to start sending out work, as well as selecting pieces to prioritize for revision. I have done some work the past few days on a recent piece that I feel is quite close to where I want it, and which I think, may actually work as a sort of short monologue piece. It's narrative poem and the speaker is the character, and I think it has a lot of dramatic potential.
The point, though, is that by working each day on new pieces, I am training an aspect of myself to do this work with greater ease and ability. Neurologically, the act of repeating a set of tasks, of rehearsing, results in the thickening of the myelin that sheaths our nerves. This increase is like added insulation, and can result in greater efficiency of the firing mechanism. As well, it will cause other neurological changes, but I am less familiar with the exact nature of most of those. I can say, though, that the increase in the myelin sheathing can strengthen the abilities connected with the specific neuronal activity. In essence, their is more energy getting through more rapidly, and that increases the throughput of the brain while engaged in that activity. So, by doing it a lot, your brain gets faster and better at it. this is the reason repetition and rehearsal often matter a great deal for performers and athletes, among many others.
By focusing my efforts on writing poetry daily, I am building a very strong sense of language in a way that is different from what is used in other linguistic mediums, or at least that is part of what I think is possible. More tangibly, I have found other things that I believe to be true, and they are largely about the idea that what we often take as the cause, in this case inspiration, is actually a result. I mean, I think that doing so much work has resulted in my being more inspired. At first, it can take significant effort, but eventually it becomes easier,.
Comments
Post a Comment