Gladness is infectious But so can be despair So seek out reasons to be glad mon frère (This little ditty does not appear in the book, but it describes the theme.)
Category Archives: Writing
A next time sometime past time
The old man sits, head bent, eyes closed, in his familiar comfortable chair, pen poised above paper bound, blank and waiting. Suddenly his eyes drift open and his hand begins to scrawl across the page: “I remember this – this is how it was – this is why it is the way it is nowContinue reading “A next time sometime past time”
Don’t worry, be writing
“Writing doesn’t always have to know where it’s going … “And so, in order to be a good writer, I have to be willing to be a bad writer. I have to be willing to let my thoughts and images be as contradictory as the evening firing its fireworks outside my window. In other words,Continue reading “Don’t worry, be writing”
How to handle an officious Self-Editor
Snooger, a snoggle, woke up to a blazing sun. Snoggle Swamp was hot and wet this morning, which was nothing new. After all, it was a swamp. (Uh oh — you didn’t hear this, dear reader, because you can’t hear what’s in my head, but the Self-Editor is also awake, trying to form the exactContinue reading “How to handle an officious Self-Editor”
Cluttered mind journals in cluttered room
(Stares at the blank page, then at the bitter cold view out the window — sunny, but treacherous — then up at the clock and at the Julia Cameron book left next to the other armchair instead of back up on the shelf where it belongs.) What is the problem with having “a place forContinue reading “Cluttered mind journals in cluttered room”
The value of being real
“People want their wisdom in short bursts.” “People want their stories long and complicated.” People — people — people — what do YOU want? How do the wisdom generators and storytellers reach YOU? That’s the puzzle, and that’s the solution: You are not “people.” You are person. You have a name. You might enjoy theContinue reading “The value of being real”
Righting
Is something bothering you? Start writing. Something’s wrong. You’re not sure what it is, but you’re uneasy — or you know exactly what’s wrong and you’re seething or brokenhearted or just upset. Start writing. Don’t worry about what to write. Write about what’s wrong — that’s easy, it’s the main thing on your mind. WriteContinue reading “Righting”
Morning pages are invented all over again
The other day I discovered my morning exercise has a name. Seth Godin made a passing reference to “morning pages” and I remembered him mentioning them before, and so I looked it up. It turns out morning pages is a phrase coined by a writing guru named Julia Cameron who suggested writing three pages ofContinue reading “Morning pages are invented all over again”
merry-go-round
The war ended, and peace was at hand. The people celebrated by making babies, a veritable boom of babies. But the old men had other ideas and they conjured new wars. And one day the baby boom grew to old men and started new wars of their own. Who will be the first to cryContinue reading “merry-go-round”
Freedom and the things of state
This is the final entry in my latest journal, covering mid-September to the end of January. It’s been a tumultuous fall and winter “out there.” The bolshevik revolution is in full swing, and who knows how much longer I’ll be able to write and speak my mind? At least as long as people manufacture booksContinue reading “Freedom and the things of state”
