Four Weeks Down, Two to Go

"How's that writing class you are taking?" you all want to know, right?  We are in our fifth week and while I've done a lot of writing, I doubt any of it will be shared in its entirety here on the blog.  Most of the stuff is impromptu and very rough!

 "What color is your jealousy? Write as if you were your jealousy for 10 minutes...go!".
It's like teaching someone to swim by throwing them into the deep end!  I must admit I had no trouble at all writing about my first crush in the class after Valentine's Day!  I could have gone on for pages about his dreamy blue eyes and blond hair, our awkward silent conversations on the telephone, the notes passed to each other through mutual friends, and the pitter-patter of my young heart every time our eyes met.  It was true puppy love!  On the other hand, writing about a typical school morning when I was 6 or 7 was a challenge.  I have very few memories of any school morning routines other than making my bed every day.  I shared a room with two of my sisters.  There were two twin beds and a crib in between the beds in our room.  We would shove the crib back and forth, with my younger sister still in it, in order to have enough room to tuck in our sheets and bedspread.  This usually resulted in one crying baby, two arguing sisters and some banged up walls.  Maybe this explains why making the bed is still not one of my favorite chores!  Having to write about something I have very little memory opens the door for some poetic license.  I am surprised at how an impromptu, 10 minute writing exercise can seem daunting at first then something clicks and before I know it the time is up.  Surprisingly, I've ended up in some interesting places!  I guess the class is working.

We only have time for two of these in my class.

One interesting suggestion our instructor made in class was to lower our standards.  Yes, those were her exact words.  The theory is... our fear and our inner critic keep us from writing.  That damn inner critic!  We all want to be perfect or as close to it as possible.   We want to be able to write a compelling, well constructed piece every time we sit down.  Anything less is unacceptable.  Truth is, writing is just like anything else.  The more we do it, the easier it gets.  It's like the side crow pose in yoga...impossible at first, but after many failed attempts, it can be done.  All it takes is a lot of practice.

One of our daily exercises is to write "morning pages".  We are supposed to write 3 pages with an actual pen and paper, every morning, before we even have that first cup of caffeinated motivation.  My writing hand is cramped and numb by the second page!  Who writes that much long hand anymore?  Supposedly, the computer is not as effective at transferring those profound thoughts from our heads to the paper as pen and ink.  I'm trying!  I have followed directions and lowered my standards assuring that my morning pages are pure garbage!  I also blame them for the lack of blogging.  After churning out 3 pages of drivel every morning, I am ready to practice golf, not writing!