So, as I mentioned in my post about the
background of my summer goals, I was hoping to write a play this summer. I had an idea I had been thinking and brainstorming about, I bought a
book with some helpful information in it and some writing exercises that I was going to work on, and I had a vision in my head of what I wanted to do.
And that's when it kind of fell apart.
Let me back up a bit. I used to write all the time. Like, constantly. Unbidden. I've been making up stories since I was three years old. My dad would pick up a yellow legal pad at family gatherings and ask for a list of 20 words. Then he and I would have to make up a story around the words, kinda like it was reverse madlibs. I caught the storytelling bug and it's been with me ever since. Poetry, short stories, even school papers - any time I could write I would.
Until college was almost over. When I was rejected to every creative writing program I applied to, I sort of hung up my journal and pen and wandered into the real world, lost. I even actively pushed
away the idea of writing. But it hasn't disappeared. (Take this blog as an example.) For a while, though, I've been grieving my storytelling career, until I realized that it hasn't been dead - it's just been in hibernation for a while. It shows up in the comments I write for my students or in the ways I explain a difficult concept in the classroom. I practice my word choice in my Facebook status updates or my comedic timing when relating a funny experience I had. When I give my Autobiography students an in-class writing assignment, I write about the same topic.
But I hadn't been actively writing until last summer. I was afraid it would be too hard. I was blocked. So, at the recommendation of a friend, I went through the book
The Artist's Way. For 12 weeks, I wrote morning pages every day, I did the workshop tasks, I kept artist dates with myself, and I started to feel creative again - not only in writing, but in teaching, and in everyday life. I could almost define myself as a writer again rather than someone who dabbles in it from time to time.
And then life got in the way. I stopped writing every morning. I stopped making time to be creative. I stopped, well, playing and having fun with creativity. So that's when I decided I was fed up and that, this summer, I was really going to write something. That's when I had the idea for the play.
Which brings us to the last few weeks. Where I've been stuck. Stymied. Blocked again. So I decided to write morning pages again. If I'm going to write something as a project, then I need to at least start writing, period. After I did that for a few days, I decided I needed some more encouragement. So I picked up the book that comes after
The Artist's Way -
The Vein of Gold. While the first book is about finding your inner artist child and digging her out of the hole she climbed into, this one is about recovery - now that the urge to write is back, what direction do I take it in
, kind of thing. I felt I needed to work on this for a little bit before I could dive right into a project. Just like my running goal, where I have to build up my stamina with intervals, I have to flex my writing muscles before I can throw them into a 5K-type project. They need a warm-up.
Part of that warm-up is my next project. In the first part of the book, you're supposed to reflect on what has brought you to this point, year by year. It's called the life narrative. You look back on each year of your life and write about one or a couple of images that really stand out in your mind. It's sort of like going to counseling with yourself because you end up realizing what is integral to who you have become as a person and how events have shaped your perception. By examining the past, you can move forward in the present. So, I'll be updating you on the progress of this life narrative as well as the play itself. Since the main goal is to get writing again, at least I'm getting back on track as far as that goes.
Tally as of today:
Life Narrative: Year 1 (29 to go)
Morning Pages: 5/last 7 days
