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drownedinlightSo an interesting bit of serendipity happened yesterday in my intermediate creative writing (though I'm not sure how serendipitous it was...). My professor likes to read to us from a book called Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. She told us the very first day of class that we would love this book, and we do. As of late though, especially since we haven't quite caught up on work shops, we really had not been able to read through Bird by Bird. I pointed this out in a sad, vomit like epiphany on Tuesday, so my professor made it a point to start the class with the book, rather than trying to end it that way.
In the chapter (/section? I can't really tell...) she read to us Lamott talks about how sometimes writing, and life, can be rather overwhelming when you sit down to right the first draft of something and then we think of all the things we have to do on about a two or three minute loop, but it distracts us, and makes us want to do other things. Then she tells us of a brilliant idea in the form of a one inch picture frame she keeps on her desk. This picture frame serves to remind that that's all she has to do for now. She writes in a much more existential mind blowing fashion, but that's basically it. She just tells herself to sit long enough to write a paragraph and then she can move on with her day.
To add to this, she related the story of a time when her brother had to do a report on birds. He had had months to do this report, but had waited until the very last day, and the stress mounted on him. Lamott described him surrounded by binder paper, and books on birds, looking like he had no idea where to even start. Then their father sits down and says, "Just take it bird by bird buddy." This really impacted her as she says she tells the story a lot, and well, she titled her book after it.
I had another epiphany this morning as i was waking up (and isn't that one of the strangest times to have an epiphany? Certainly not the worst, I think I would have been angry if it had happened at 3 am and it woke me up. I was actually trying to get out of bed to get up and write, so this helped me accomplish that goal): that's what I'm trying to do with my life right now. I'm trying to exercise my goal oriented-ness, and take myself bird by bird through all life throws at me. Assignment by assignment, punch by punch, verse by verse, and word by word. It was a good little bit of encouragement when I realized just how much I needed that starting a year long project like this.
And not to mention, yeah, when I sit down to write in the morning and/or evening I think about the million and one things I need to do. In fact, I drew up a list just yesterday of all the things I need to do--it includes my many assignments I should get done this weekend, in addition to scholarship hunting and cleaning my desk and the space in my dorm room. But you know what's also on that list? "Continue 2000/50 Project," because it needs to be on my to do list. It is something I have declared that I need to do, and therefore, I am going to do it. There is no room for wiggling on this here. It will get done!
And now I'm going on and on about this, but it's important for me to drill it into my own head, and how I do that is by writing? Don't believe me? I almost messed up my project yesterday. I almost went to bed, because I was sleepy, and then I realized that I still had about thirty-five pages of reading to do. Now grant it, I had an hour-and-a-half orchestra rehearsal last night, but that's really no excuse, I could have read when I got back, instead of getting sucked into the internet so much that I looked down at the clock once and went, "wow 10:35 already?"
So I went out into the dorm hall (because I had already turned of my light and my roommate was trying to sleep) and finished reading my fifty pages for the day. Was it uncomfortable sitting on the scratchy carpet? A little, but I could have gone up to the common room if I had so chosen (I actually didn't want to get myself comfortable, because I am one of those people who will sit and read and read if given a chance, so I'm working on pacing myself on the reading and actually getting to suitable stopping points and then stopping, which is annoying, because the book I'm reading has like two a chapter and they're word miles apart from one another).
So yeah, I'm four days in and going pretty strong. Speaking of those bird though...how many do I have left? 1117. Right, I can do this. Just think of the birds. Not homework or scholarships. Just bird by bird. Keep going.
Journal WC: 883
3/4/11 WC: same
Project WC: 8579
Bibliography:
Lamott, Anne. "Short Assignments." Bird by bird: some instructions on writing and life. New York: Anchor Books, 1995. 16-20. Print.
There should be a reverse indent on my bib, but you can't do that on livejournal, apparently.
In the chapter (/section? I can't really tell...) she read to us Lamott talks about how sometimes writing, and life, can be rather overwhelming when you sit down to right the first draft of something and then we think of all the things we have to do on about a two or three minute loop, but it distracts us, and makes us want to do other things. Then she tells us of a brilliant idea in the form of a one inch picture frame she keeps on her desk. This picture frame serves to remind that that's all she has to do for now. She writes in a much more existential mind blowing fashion, but that's basically it. She just tells herself to sit long enough to write a paragraph and then she can move on with her day.
To add to this, she related the story of a time when her brother had to do a report on birds. He had had months to do this report, but had waited until the very last day, and the stress mounted on him. Lamott described him surrounded by binder paper, and books on birds, looking like he had no idea where to even start. Then their father sits down and says, "Just take it bird by bird buddy." This really impacted her as she says she tells the story a lot, and well, she titled her book after it.
I had another epiphany this morning as i was waking up (and isn't that one of the strangest times to have an epiphany? Certainly not the worst, I think I would have been angry if it had happened at 3 am and it woke me up. I was actually trying to get out of bed to get up and write, so this helped me accomplish that goal): that's what I'm trying to do with my life right now. I'm trying to exercise my goal oriented-ness, and take myself bird by bird through all life throws at me. Assignment by assignment, punch by punch, verse by verse, and word by word. It was a good little bit of encouragement when I realized just how much I needed that starting a year long project like this.
And not to mention, yeah, when I sit down to write in the morning and/or evening I think about the million and one things I need to do. In fact, I drew up a list just yesterday of all the things I need to do--it includes my many assignments I should get done this weekend, in addition to scholarship hunting and cleaning my desk and the space in my dorm room. But you know what's also on that list? "Continue 2000/50 Project," because it needs to be on my to do list. It is something I have declared that I need to do, and therefore, I am going to do it. There is no room for wiggling on this here. It will get done!
And now I'm going on and on about this, but it's important for me to drill it into my own head, and how I do that is by writing? Don't believe me? I almost messed up my project yesterday. I almost went to bed, because I was sleepy, and then I realized that I still had about thirty-five pages of reading to do. Now grant it, I had an hour-and-a-half orchestra rehearsal last night, but that's really no excuse, I could have read when I got back, instead of getting sucked into the internet so much that I looked down at the clock once and went, "wow 10:35 already?"
So I went out into the dorm hall (because I had already turned of my light and my roommate was trying to sleep) and finished reading my fifty pages for the day. Was it uncomfortable sitting on the scratchy carpet? A little, but I could have gone up to the common room if I had so chosen (I actually didn't want to get myself comfortable, because I am one of those people who will sit and read and read if given a chance, so I'm working on pacing myself on the reading and actually getting to suitable stopping points and then stopping, which is annoying, because the book I'm reading has like two a chapter and they're word miles apart from one another).
So yeah, I'm four days in and going pretty strong. Speaking of those bird though...how many do I have left? 1117. Right, I can do this. Just think of the birds. Not homework or scholarships. Just bird by bird. Keep going.
Journal WC: 883
3/4/11 WC: same
Project WC: 8579
Bibliography:
Lamott, Anne. "Short Assignments." Bird by bird: some instructions on writing and life. New York: Anchor Books, 1995. 16-20. Print.
There should be a reverse indent on my bib, but you can't do that on livejournal, apparently.
