by Christine Swint
Give me some room! (For creating space in a life for writing.)
If I haven’t had my cup of poetry in the morning, I’m a real bear. Since I work in the late afternoons and early evenings, mornings are my quiet time, when I sit down to do some writing.
It’s fun to learn about the rituals different poets and writers rely on to encourage and support their writing. Longfellow wrote standing up, his notebook propped on a podium. I’ve been to Arrowhead, Herman Melville’s home, where he had a desk in his front room, with a view of the Berkshire hill country, the walls lined with whaling tools. Edith Wharton used to write in bed, in long hand, letting the sheets of paper drop to the floor when she reached the end of a page. Her secretary would later gather the papers and type them up.
After a poetry reading, Earl S. Braggs spoke about his writing habits, stating that he doesn’t write poetry every day. Because of his teaching schedule at the University of Tennessee he usually writes six hours a day in the summer, when he has no classes. But he keeps various journals he fills throughout the academic year.
Most books on the craft of writing encourage writers to be professional, to develop the discipline to write every day. But poetry is an art that requires the writer to enter those places of the soul writers in other genres might not explore as often. Sometimes it isn’t emotionally possible to stay in that poetic realm every day for extended periods of time.
Poet Pat Schneider, founder of Amherst Writers and Artists, and the author of Writing Alone and with Others, encourages the writer to view work as a gift to oneself. As she says, it’s all in the attitude. Instead of beating ourselves up for not having written in a while, we might instead use that energy for looking forward to the next time we can be alone to write.
Patricia Lee Lewis, a poet and former student of Pat Schneider’s, leads workshops and retreats using the Amherst Writers and Artists methods. I attended one of Patricia’s retreats during bluebonnet season in the Texas hill country near Austin. As twenty of us sat around an enormous oak table, Patricia would lead us through a brief meditation to focus our minds. She would then announce a simple prompt, and we would write in silence for twenty minutes.
I’ve continued the practice of brief meditation before writing, especially when free-writing. I get comfortable, close my eyes, and breathe fully. Sometimes I have the subject I’m writing about in the back of my mind, sometimes not. When I open my eyes I set a timer, and write. No scratching out, no censoring, no judging. From there I might begin to see a poem in the soup of words on the page, but not always.
A pot of tea helps the writing too, I think, as does a cat or a dog lounging near by. But that’s just me. What about you? How do you create your space? Do you write at the kitchen counter while waiting for the marinara sauce to simmer? Or do you scribble thoughts down on napkins in a restaurant, waiting for a friend? Let us know what your writing habits are, and what you do to encourage a consistent writing practice.
Also noteworthy: Don’t miss Dana’s interview with Dorianne Laux. There’s great information and inspiration in this piece, written especially for Read Write Poem.
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I write anywhere and everywhere. During the school year, I have my students write poems twice a week to begin class and I write with them. I sit at my podium on my comfy high chair. I write in a notebook (This one was given to me as a X-mas gift by the paraprofessional in one of my classes.) and must use a yellow Papermate mechanical pencil.
Now that I’ve started blogging, I also write at home using my computer. I wondered if I’d be able to write that way without my special pencil but no problem. I usually sit in my recliner in the living room with my laptop in my lap.
I also keep a small notebook in my purse so I can write whenever I am waiting outside a bait shop, auto parts store, or heavy equipment dealership for my husband; or in a restaurant while he’s gone to the bathroom; or in doctors’ and dentists’ waiting rooms; or at the beach.
I guess because I didn’t start writing until I was 40, I’ve just got so many poems bottled up inside, that they’re willing to come out anytime. It’s like having a friend around to play with whenever I get the urge.
Linda, I love what you said about writing outside the bait shop or the auto parts store! I can totally relate to that. I also feel about writing like you do, in that I have so many poems inside me…. I can’t wait to get back to writing when I’ve been away from it.
Your comments are great, as are all the details of your writing life. I enjoy hearing how others incorporate writing into their daily lives.
Excellent post. I have special space for writing on Fridays (I only work 4 days) and Sundays but also often write in the evenings. I have a notebook with me all the time and will often scribble down notes during the day, at work, on the bus etc. I can keep lines in my mind without writing them down now too and I do that quite often. Basically I’m writing all the time. I also note down inspirations all the time, I only wish I could take notes during an inspiring film,
Juliet,
It’s true, if we keep your notebooks handy and our minds in tune, we can be in poetry mode most of the time. A good point.
During the documentary “Into Great Silence” I scrbbled notes in the dark on my pad – each scene was a poem!
i am different in that i cannot write outside of my controlled environment… i am lucky in that as a cloistered being,, i am almost always here… but i am not at ease outside of the house and thus the persona that i use in public has all of her energies concentrated on the task at hand,, and none of them free to create…
even when i write something that more or less writes itself… i am here in this same environment,, it is just the words that are free….
Paisley,
Your answer to this post is a poem. Thank you for adding this honest description of your creative life. It’s interesting to hear how inspiration works for different people. Each way of making art is beautiful. Your approach to your work sounds almost spiritual….
It is not easy to answer. I have phases. Sometimes I can write and write and then have dry periods. For past few months the dry phases has got less and less. Thats becos, I resort to write reviews for books I read. It keeps the words loosened in my mind and poetry kind of flows.
I do keep a notebook with me all the time. I only jot down certain words and phrases which strike but whole poetry, I do write directly on my PC.
Sometimes I too wonder how come I wrote that. I kind of go into a trance like state…
Does it make sense?
BTW, I loved reading the responses to this.
passing by… trying to read all of your articles… have always enjoyed this site but never had the time to sit and read… not having seriously put the mind to pen it is exciting to write with intention to complete.. sometimes when im driving mind wondering words come… listening to music… best spot sitting in front of the window at my dining room table… love to find new topics to write about… writing abt me gets old… thrz gotta be more to life than that…thank you for the links in your article…
gautami, I’ve visited your book review blog. Your energy is amazing. Reading is a great way to find new inspiration to write.
One More Believer, it’s great to see your name here. You sound like a true poet, writing in front of a window, a view to the world.
In one way, we always write about ourselves, at least different parts of ourselves, but at the same time, we’re writing about everyone else. I suppose it’s all in the way you look at creativity. Thanks for commenting!
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