Writing it all Down
I recently read in another blog words likening the creation of a blog post to writing a sermon. In my limited experience, the process of writing both posts and sermons ranges from easy and fast to difficult and slow. No two posts (or sermons) come together quite the same way, and the experience of writing and refining them can also be quite different depending on the topic.
My posts come together through several different processes. First there are the “immediate” posts, where something I see or experience sparks an idea, I sit down and start typing, and 30 minutes later, I have a post I’m ready to share with the world. These posts are like a nicely wrapped surprise gift, and of course they are just as rare. Most of my posts come from a process of “seasoning,” where I gather thoughts and conclusions from an experience, ongoing conversation, or meditation, and over the space of days or weeks translate those experiences into words. The third category is the “set aside” post. It begins with a hot idea and a title; a flash of inspiration that results only in staring at a blinking cursor, tentatively typing and deleting opening lines, and finally capitulation. Such a post finds a home in the “Ideas” folder, where it might languish for days or weeks (yes, even months!) before being rescued and written.
A glance into the Ideas Folder reveals many titles, including “Bearing Witness,” “Freedom,” “Hope,” “Depression,” “God Is,” and “Talking About Politics,” all patiently waiting for content. The oldest of these goes back to last November; the most recent was born today. Like little seeds waiting in a jar, nobody knows which one will be nurtured, grow, and blossom - and be harvested into the “Posted” folder. What fruit will they bear, I wonder?
Sometimes I have an idea that just won’t go away, but I can’t come up with a page of prose about it. For example, I wrote the poem “Beauty” to express how I feel about being able to see the beauty of Nature around me despite the ugliness of this place and the war. It still needs some work, but it was fun to see it just come together on its own. I have never been a poet before, so it is one of many new experiences and practices I’m exploring.
Writing for the weblog is actually only a small part of all the writing I do. I begin each day by writing 3 pages of longhand, simply writing whatever comes to my mind, even if it is “I can’t think of anything to write” over and over. I’ve only gotten to that point once or twice – usually I write song lyrics if I can’t think of anything else! I got the idea of Morning Pages from my wife, who is a big fan of the book The Artist’s Way, where she learned about them.
The whole point of these “daily pages,” as I call them (I write them in the evening, actually) is just to write! I see it as flushing the crud out of my brain to release the creativity behind it. It seems to work, and sometimes I find myself writing passages that are actually insightful and meaningful. I call these sentences and paragraphs “nuggets” - tidbits panned from the silt being flushed from my mind by the act of writing. Often I carry these thoughts and ideas into meditation, a two-step process that has been the genesis of more than one post. If nothing else, this writing helps me get going mentally for the night ahead.
My third writing practice is a journal where I record my day-to-day routine. This helps me remember what I’m doing, and at the end of every week I go back and review how my mood changed from day to day, what I noticed around me, and how I reacted to it. Journaling is a practice I have engaged in other times during my life, but never before with the dedication and regularity I have here. I hope I am able to continue to make it, and all of my writing, part of my life when I return home.
The sermon analogy is apposite to my post-writing, especially in light of this being a “ministry of words.” I also find this process akin to creating a work of art, playing a song, or composing a photograph. I draw from experiences in my past, current observations, emotions and ideas, and express a part of myself in words rather than paint, notes, or emulsion. Sometimes I get lucky - everything just clicks, and I produce a post that has “it.” Just like the rest of life, “it” is more about the process than the outcome.
My posts come together through several different processes. First there are the “immediate” posts, where something I see or experience sparks an idea, I sit down and start typing, and 30 minutes later, I have a post I’m ready to share with the world. These posts are like a nicely wrapped surprise gift, and of course they are just as rare. Most of my posts come from a process of “seasoning,” where I gather thoughts and conclusions from an experience, ongoing conversation, or meditation, and over the space of days or weeks translate those experiences into words. The third category is the “set aside” post. It begins with a hot idea and a title; a flash of inspiration that results only in staring at a blinking cursor, tentatively typing and deleting opening lines, and finally capitulation. Such a post finds a home in the “Ideas” folder, where it might languish for days or weeks (yes, even months!) before being rescued and written.
A glance into the Ideas Folder reveals many titles, including “Bearing Witness,” “Freedom,” “Hope,” “Depression,” “God Is,” and “Talking About Politics,” all patiently waiting for content. The oldest of these goes back to last November; the most recent was born today. Like little seeds waiting in a jar, nobody knows which one will be nurtured, grow, and blossom - and be harvested into the “Posted” folder. What fruit will they bear, I wonder?
Sometimes I have an idea that just won’t go away, but I can’t come up with a page of prose about it. For example, I wrote the poem “Beauty” to express how I feel about being able to see the beauty of Nature around me despite the ugliness of this place and the war. It still needs some work, but it was fun to see it just come together on its own. I have never been a poet before, so it is one of many new experiences and practices I’m exploring.
Writing for the weblog is actually only a small part of all the writing I do. I begin each day by writing 3 pages of longhand, simply writing whatever comes to my mind, even if it is “I can’t think of anything to write” over and over. I’ve only gotten to that point once or twice – usually I write song lyrics if I can’t think of anything else! I got the idea of Morning Pages from my wife, who is a big fan of the book The Artist’s Way, where she learned about them.
The whole point of these “daily pages,” as I call them (I write them in the evening, actually) is just to write! I see it as flushing the crud out of my brain to release the creativity behind it. It seems to work, and sometimes I find myself writing passages that are actually insightful and meaningful. I call these sentences and paragraphs “nuggets” - tidbits panned from the silt being flushed from my mind by the act of writing. Often I carry these thoughts and ideas into meditation, a two-step process that has been the genesis of more than one post. If nothing else, this writing helps me get going mentally for the night ahead.
My third writing practice is a journal where I record my day-to-day routine. This helps me remember what I’m doing, and at the end of every week I go back and review how my mood changed from day to day, what I noticed around me, and how I reacted to it. Journaling is a practice I have engaged in other times during my life, but never before with the dedication and regularity I have here. I hope I am able to continue to make it, and all of my writing, part of my life when I return home.
The sermon analogy is apposite to my post-writing, especially in light of this being a “ministry of words.” I also find this process akin to creating a work of art, playing a song, or composing a photograph. I draw from experiences in my past, current observations, emotions and ideas, and express a part of myself in words rather than paint, notes, or emulsion. Sometimes I get lucky - everything just clicks, and I produce a post that has “it.” Just like the rest of life, “it” is more about the process than the outcome.
posted by Greg at 2/05/2005 11:26:00 AM
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