Hope. Esperanza. I wish I knew this beautiful word in more languages than two. It is what gets us out of the bed in the mornings. It is reinvention. Revision can be a more positive experience if one views this process through Bomer's eyes. She makes you think about second chances and the ability to have a "do over" with your work. I pray that I can remember her soft, wise words when I am in this process later on this evening. I hope my students will learn to view this process as hopeful as well. It is so hard to put on a new lens and look at your writing from a new perspective, as this may be one of the most important parts of the process yet. However, looking at Cindy Urbanski's work allows us to flip our pieces upside down and switch our points of view. How else can we get a twentieth chance, if not from revision?
Now, my thoughts are moving in a slightly different direction. When is a piece dead? When should you abandon it and start over? My fear is that I may need to do this with my own personal attempt at memoir writing. I like how memoirists take little drops of memories from their lives and collect them into one pool. The challenge is ensuring that each drop is equally as strong as the other. This seems daunting, since I am starting from the beginning "and miles to go before I sleep." I am excited and afraid about what my Writing Group peeps will say about this budding idea. I need some direction!
I love your title(s). And the way you tie your lit. from yoru demo to this idea of reinvention, re-purposing, creativity, and revision is, like, the bomb. Totally, you know? (Seriously)
ReplyDeleteDoes a piece die? I struggle with that question myself. I hope we can discuss this in our writing group this afternoon.
Number 1: I love your titles!! They are fabulous and really pull me in as a reader!!
ReplyDeleteAbout your question: when is a piece dead? I think we just feel it as writers when we are (for the moment) finished with a piece of writing. It's that whole revision, thing, right? We need to set is aside until we can reSEE the piece--maybe there is more to say, maybe it is finished just as it is. Sometimes I depend on my readers to tell me when they feel the piece is finished and complete.
When I write I tend to go where the energy is. It's really instinctual. If I feel like I've got things to say, the character is speaking to me, in the case of Zippy, I go with her and get to my computer or a piece of paper and see what she has to say today. I mention this in the context of what you said about wondering when a piece is finished. If it seems like it, then do set it aside and move on to where your energy is beckoning you.
We constantly make reference to literature to tie in a connection. Sometimes we may even reference the same piece at different times in our "studies." Do words ever die or are they eternal? I love the rhythm that I feel in your writing.
ReplyDeleteI am with you on your reinvention. Renewal makes for the best teacher. I'm inspired to do Teacher Institute! I need a sense of passion and rejuvenation EVERY year. I love conferences, I love my Master's program, I love this Writing Project! We need renewal to believe in what we do. AHA! Moment for the day is this blog from you! Thank you!
ReplyDelete