A Writer's Notebook, Day One-Thousand-And-Twenty-Six

I have been very pleased with a lot of the poems I am producing at the moment.  I think this does come from writing each day, and from the amount I write.  There are many writers who have a want for some sense of comfort, and that may do well for them, but for me, I need to instill a sense of discipline, at least in a certain sense.  I believe in the concept of inspiration, but I don't think it is always enough, and I think it often is a thing that comes from being conscripted, from the pressure it is put under.  I don't think that pressure is always bad or external.  It needn't just be a looming deadline from an assignment, but can be imposed on the self in ways.  I write each day, and I am shocked by what comes out when I don't know what to write.  At times, it is a real surprise to me and I discover things I did not understand about my own experiences.  It is not a tame process, and so I need to build order around it, to contain it, and also to allow me to have access.  I do not dismiss the need for a connection, but, for me, that connection is a product of the practice itself, having a discipline that I am always engaging with.  I have a commitment to the work, and it is important to me.  It is about what I promise to myself, and what I expect of myself.  As I said, the process of writing can bring out a great deal for me, when I am tapping in to some of the real stuff, and I need to feel safe for that to happen.  Routine and security help with that, and they also keep me in shape as a writer for when their is an abundance of inspiration. 

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