Comments on: considering the other: getting zoned and the joy of socks http://readwritepoem.org/blog/2009/12/16/considering-the-other-getting-zoned-and-the-joy-of-socks/ Mon, 03 May 2010 01:01:02 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: rallentanda http://readwritepoem.org/blog/2009/12/16/considering-the-other-getting-zoned-and-the-joy-of-socks/comment-page-1/#comment-11686 rallentanda Sat, 19 Dec 2009 04:10:25 +0000 http://readwritepoem.org/?p=8310#comment-11686 Having been hit by trains on a daily basis for a number of years,I don't recommend the experience.Granted, it supplies a bountiful wealth of material and at a pinch I suppose it is preferable to kissing frogs! Having been hit by trains on a daily basis for a number of years,I don’t recommend the experience.Granted, it supplies a bountiful wealth of material and at a pinch I suppose it is preferable to kissing frogs!

]]> By: irene http://readwritepoem.org/blog/2009/12/16/considering-the-other-getting-zoned-and-the-joy-of-socks/comment-page-1/#comment-11657 irene Fri, 18 Dec 2009 04:16:29 +0000 http://readwritepoem.org/?p=8310#comment-11657 I really enjoyed Elizabeth Gilbert's talk. Thanks so much for sharing it. I really enjoyed Elizabeth Gilbert’s talk. Thanks so much for sharing it.

]]> By: David Moolten http://readwritepoem.org/blog/2009/12/16/considering-the-other-getting-zoned-and-the-joy-of-socks/comment-page-1/#comment-11642 David Moolten Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:21:27 +0000 http://readwritepoem.org/?p=8310#comment-11642 Sorry Ren, I was writing at 5 AM, and was not in the zone or flow, or in the wrong zone or flow, as is frequently the case. What I meant was your entertaining revelations about the pluses and minuses of your own effervescent experiences were great. On the other hand, the recommendations, (not yours, but those by others you discuss critically and Joseph suggests are not easy to follow) suffer from the simple fact that the beneficiary isn't in the driver's seat (so to speak). I agree with Ruth Stone, inspiration hits the writer, he or she doesn't hunt it down. And I agree with you, mediocre inspiration can feel the same as good, so just getting hit by a train doesn't guarantee one is about to write the poem that will punch one's ticket to Oslo (I suppose something similar could be said for indiscriminate love as well). Being a cynical romantic or a romantic cynic, and a believer in entropy (and Murphy's law and all its corollaries), I would say that one should strive to get hit by as many trains as possible without expecting too much (something we have some control over), other than to sorting through the rubble in the vain hopes of finding something valuable, kind of like panning for gold or kissing frogs, only somewhat more painful... Sorry Ren,

I was writing at 5 AM, and was not in the zone or flow, or in the wrong zone or flow, as is frequently the case. What I meant was your entertaining revelations about the pluses and minuses of your own effervescent experiences were great. On the other hand, the recommendations, (not yours, but those by others you discuss critically and Joseph suggests are not easy to follow) suffer from the simple fact that the beneficiary isn’t in the driver’s seat (so to speak). I agree with Ruth Stone, inspiration hits the writer, he or she doesn’t hunt it down. And I agree with you, mediocre inspiration can feel the same as good, so just getting hit by a train doesn’t guarantee one is about to write the poem that will punch one’s ticket to Oslo (I suppose something similar could be said for indiscriminate love as well).

Being a cynical romantic or a romantic cynic, and a believer in entropy (and Murphy’s law and all its corollaries), I would say that one should strive to get hit by as many trains as possible without expecting too much (something we have some control over), other than to sorting through the rubble in the vain hopes of finding something valuable, kind of like panning for gold or kissing frogs, only somewhat more painful…

]]> By: ren powell http://readwritepoem.org/blog/2009/12/16/considering-the-other-getting-zoned-and-the-joy-of-socks/comment-page-1/#comment-11632 ren powell Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:09:57 +0000 http://readwritepoem.org/?p=8310#comment-11632 Those weren't my recommendations at all... that was sort of what I was pointing out :-) Those weren’t my recommendations at all… that was sort of what I was pointing out :-)

]]> By: David Moolten http://readwritepoem.org/blog/2009/12/16/considering-the-other-getting-zoned-and-the-joy-of-socks/comment-page-1/#comment-11606 David Moolten Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:08:27 +0000 http://readwritepoem.org/?p=8310#comment-11606 This is great, and a process every writer should consider. But as Joseph points out, some of the recommendations are difficult to follow. I suspect much of inspiration is animal passion. There is no mind/body connection. The mind is body, and good writing the recombination of serendipitous voltage and inscrutable id. But maybe writers can help themselves by seeking to become better conductors or "casualties," i.e. standing on the train tracks more often (for me listening to certain music, or reading certain passages can put me "in the mood"). This is great, and a process every writer should consider. But as Joseph points out, some of the recommendations are difficult to follow. I suspect much of inspiration is animal passion. There is no mind/body connection. The mind is body, and good writing the recombination of serendipitous voltage and inscrutable id. But maybe writers can help themselves by seeking to become better conductors or “casualties,” i.e. standing on the train tracks more often (for me listening to certain music, or reading certain passages can put me “in the mood”).

]]> By: ren powell http://readwritepoem.org/blog/2009/12/16/considering-the-other-getting-zoned-and-the-joy-of-socks/comment-page-1/#comment-11600 ren powell Thu, 17 Dec 2009 09:02:53 +0000 http://readwritepoem.org/?p=8310#comment-11600 !!:-) I LOVE the natural mind/body connection! !!:-) I LOVE the natural mind/body connection!

]]> By: Donna Vorreyer http://readwritepoem.org/blog/2009/12/16/considering-the-other-getting-zoned-and-the-joy-of-socks/comment-page-1/#comment-11578 Donna Vorreyer Thu, 17 Dec 2009 04:05:22 +0000 http://readwritepoem.org/?p=8310#comment-11578 I always tell my students to tie their editing hands behind their backs when they draft. It's pretty funny to watch 12 year olds actually put their hands behind their backs when they start worrying too much about the details. I always tell my students to tie their editing hands behind their backs when they draft. It’s pretty funny to watch 12 year olds actually put their hands behind their backs when they start worrying too much about the details.

]]> By: Joseph Harker http://readwritepoem.org/blog/2009/12/16/considering-the-other-getting-zoned-and-the-joy-of-socks/comment-page-1/#comment-11574 Joseph Harker Wed, 16 Dec 2009 22:48:07 +0000 http://readwritepoem.org/?p=8310#comment-11574 "Csikszentmihalyi" sounds like an exceptionally scandalous swear word. (No offense, Dr. Cs.) Anyway, you have an excellent description of creative process here... people talk about how important it is to silence the internal editor, but not about how one also has to keep a leash on that muse. The tough part always seems to be knowing who needs more attention on any given day. Carry a voice recorder and a notebook to let that rush of words (maybe "rush" instead of "flow"?) and thoughts and images out into the world, but don't look at them right away lest the editor dismiss them with a sneer... Those numbered points you picked out sound like really, really nice concepts; unfortunately, they also sound like impossible switches to flip. Remember "Don't Worry, Be Happy"? Oy. (Thank goodness you can get good poetry out of depression, too.) I'm going to end this comment before I ramble, but I always enjoy reading your thoughts, they're fascinating paths. :) “Csikszentmihalyi” sounds like an exceptionally scandalous swear word. (No offense, Dr. Cs.)

Anyway, you have an excellent description of creative process here… people talk about how important it is to silence the internal editor, but not about how one also has to keep a leash on that muse. The tough part always seems to be knowing who needs more attention on any given day. Carry a voice recorder and a notebook to let that rush of words (maybe “rush” instead of “flow”?) and thoughts and images out into the world, but don’t look at them right away lest the editor dismiss them with a sneer…

Those numbered points you picked out sound like really, really nice concepts; unfortunately, they also sound like impossible switches to flip. Remember “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”? Oy. (Thank goodness you can get good poetry out of depression, too.)

I’m going to end this comment before I ramble, but I always enjoy reading your thoughts, they’re fascinating paths. :)

]]> By: ren powell http://readwritepoem.org/blog/2009/12/16/considering-the-other-getting-zoned-and-the-joy-of-socks/comment-page-1/#comment-11573 ren powell Wed, 16 Dec 2009 21:22:48 +0000 http://readwritepoem.org/?p=8310#comment-11573 Thanks Julie! (rallentanda, I guarantee no warts of any sort from Taz. He practices safe poetry.) Thanks Julie! (rallentanda, I guarantee no warts of any sort from Taz. He practices safe poetry.)

]]> By: Julie Jordan Scott http://readwritepoem.org/blog/2009/12/16/considering-the-other-getting-zoned-and-the-joy-of-socks/comment-page-1/#comment-11570 Julie Jordan Scott Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:52:26 +0000 http://readwritepoem.org/?p=8310#comment-11570 I adored every word of this. Love the way you took your Taz on the entire journey, too - straight from the love exemplified by the store brand strawberry soda to the closing question. I feel like your Taz has been dancing with My Other, somewhere - perhaps in Rumi's field? Yeah, I think that explains everything.... I adored every word of this. Love the way you took your Taz on the entire journey, too – straight from the love exemplified by the store brand strawberry soda to the closing question.

I feel like your Taz has been dancing with My Other, somewhere – perhaps in Rumi’s field? Yeah, I think that explains everything….

]]> By: rallentanda http://readwritepoem.org/blog/2009/12/16/considering-the-other-getting-zoned-and-the-joy-of-socks/comment-page-1/#comment-11564 rallentanda Wed, 16 Dec 2009 06:27:21 +0000 http://readwritepoem.org/?p=8310#comment-11564 The Tasmanian Devil is having a terrible time with warts at the moment.It could be heading for extinction! The Tasmanian Devil is having a terrible time with warts at the moment.It could be heading for extinction!

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