A Writer's Notebook, Day Three-Hundred-And-Forty-Three
One aspect of being a writer which is often difficult is the isolationist aspect of the work. I am not speaking about the personal isolation required for writing, though that matters greatly both in terms of time for work and time for solitary contemplation, but instead about a different form of isolation that has to do with the separation between writer and reader.
For a reader, the work of a writer is often quite intimate, and their is an extreme sense that the writer is close to them. This, in my mind, is a result in part at least, of the way writing functions. Essentially, we are allowing thoughts to be inside our mind, in the form of the language we decode from the page, and thus it feels to the reader as though the writer is, in a sense, inside their own consciousness as they read. As well, of course, the works own reverberations will contribute, but realizing that these occur on such an internal and intimate level, not as something witnessed externally but as something that happened inside the reader's own mind, is an important factor, I believe.
As a writer, I am aware of this, but I am also not there for that part of the interaction. My job is to create the experience that the reader will have before they ever come into the picture. I am isolated from the reader as I create. I am alone with the words, trying to make a thing for another mind to digest, to experience, and I want to give that person something of value. It is my goal to craft a thing that the reader will find has a personal meaning, and that they feel a sense of connection with that work, yet I do not know that person.
In many ways, writing online attempts to, if not eliminate, at least shorten that gap. I am writing here in a way that, I hope, will reach readers immediately and which may create a potential for conversation that can go in both directions. However, I am also still doing this work alone, and am not always certain that I am hitting the mark. It can be quite difficult to express the changes that happen in my work, especially since I am attempting to do it as those changes occur, often before the shifting has settled, let alone me having a clear grasp on what might be occurring. As such, it is hard to really be aware that this blog has meaning other than as a way for me to reflect and map my own progress. That is, of course, valuable, but I don't intend for this to have that as it's central purpose.
It matters to me that I feel this blog is not just a self-reflective mess, though I admit it may be that way, and I am aware that the nature of what I am recording here is a bit self-indulgent. The goal, however, is to be honest and straightforward about aspects of my thinking and writing process, to explore it openly. I do not know, of course, if I am entirely successful in that. Some days, perhaps, others, probably less so. But it is important for me to remind myself, sometimes, and to consider the question in a direct way, of just how this blog is evolving. It certainly is far from my initial thoughts when I began working on it, and I am sure it will grow and change again, as I continue. Always, I hope, in a way that has meaning and value for those who discover it.
For a reader, the work of a writer is often quite intimate, and their is an extreme sense that the writer is close to them. This, in my mind, is a result in part at least, of the way writing functions. Essentially, we are allowing thoughts to be inside our mind, in the form of the language we decode from the page, and thus it feels to the reader as though the writer is, in a sense, inside their own consciousness as they read. As well, of course, the works own reverberations will contribute, but realizing that these occur on such an internal and intimate level, not as something witnessed externally but as something that happened inside the reader's own mind, is an important factor, I believe.
As a writer, I am aware of this, but I am also not there for that part of the interaction. My job is to create the experience that the reader will have before they ever come into the picture. I am isolated from the reader as I create. I am alone with the words, trying to make a thing for another mind to digest, to experience, and I want to give that person something of value. It is my goal to craft a thing that the reader will find has a personal meaning, and that they feel a sense of connection with that work, yet I do not know that person.
In many ways, writing online attempts to, if not eliminate, at least shorten that gap. I am writing here in a way that, I hope, will reach readers immediately and which may create a potential for conversation that can go in both directions. However, I am also still doing this work alone, and am not always certain that I am hitting the mark. It can be quite difficult to express the changes that happen in my work, especially since I am attempting to do it as those changes occur, often before the shifting has settled, let alone me having a clear grasp on what might be occurring. As such, it is hard to really be aware that this blog has meaning other than as a way for me to reflect and map my own progress. That is, of course, valuable, but I don't intend for this to have that as it's central purpose.
It matters to me that I feel this blog is not just a self-reflective mess, though I admit it may be that way, and I am aware that the nature of what I am recording here is a bit self-indulgent. The goal, however, is to be honest and straightforward about aspects of my thinking and writing process, to explore it openly. I do not know, of course, if I am entirely successful in that. Some days, perhaps, others, probably less so. But it is important for me to remind myself, sometimes, and to consider the question in a direct way, of just how this blog is evolving. It certainly is far from my initial thoughts when I began working on it, and I am sure it will grow and change again, as I continue. Always, I hope, in a way that has meaning and value for those who discover it.
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