12:34am
I've decided that's it's not best or most productive for me to write later than about this time of the night. Tuesday night got a little crazy--definitely a little out of hand. And though when I read through those posts, my only thoughts were: "Wow, I can still write cohesively at 3 in the morning!" and "Wow, I can get incredibly carried away" especially when my fingers can manage to keep up with the strings of thoughts as they pass through the ticker in my head that is in charge of motor control.
I apologize.
I love words.
I love having things to say, and multiple ways of saying them. But sometimes I feel like I should revel more in the beauty of being succinct.
Last quarter I took a workshop class where I was required to write critiques for my classmates' work, and in return, they would critique mine. It was Kate Trueblood's senior seminar for fiction writing, so everyone was a brilliant writer...or at least, everyone employed the techniques that brilliant writers play with. Either way, I had a really good time writing my critiques because it helped me identify those combinations of literary devices that separate an effective piece from an amazing piece.
In my amazement at the talent of my classmates, I have to admit to getting carried away with my feedback. For every half-filled page of critiques that I received, I put out an entire page for each of my classmates in turn. Where they would identify my strengths in one concise sentence, I would carry on my compliments for a full paragraph before moving into editing suggestions. A page was simply not enough space to articulate my thoughts! I honestly wanted to sit down with a few of my classmates over coffee to just to talk about their work.
I'm not trying to say the critiques I received were too short--I'm actually saying the complete opposite--they were well thought out and to the point. Concise. Succinct. Beautiful.
They were every bit as helpful as I intended my own letters to be.
My problem is that I feel like writing helps me say too much. They told me my critiques were helpful because they were so extensive, but I wonder if I couldn't have said what I needed to in half the space. It would have saved me time and energy at least...
I've just done 30 minutes of yoga and my brain feels fantastic. It's like the squishy knot up there has finally untwisted, allowing for adequate bloodflow and proper thought management. When it's all tense (like it gets when it's too cold in my apartment), I get thought traffic jams that ebb and flow, piling up on one another until the pressure is too great and the dam bursts, sending thoughts speeding across my consciousness only to run into the next line of traffic a bit further on. In that tense state of mind, I feel like I have to catch them all before they're gone.
It's that traffic dam that causes such long pieces of writing. I'll read a piece and all the words I want to say come out at once, and by the time they're all down on "paper", I don't have the heart to edit them out.
But right now, there's a sense of balance--like the traffic lights that manage freeway pressure are finally doing their job properly and the flow of traffic is kept pretty even. In this state of mind I can let thoughts go.
I don't feel like there's a need to capture them all.
Do I write too much?
I've decided that's it's not best or most productive for me to write later than about this time of the night. Tuesday night got a little crazy--definitely a little out of hand. And though when I read through those posts, my only thoughts were: "Wow, I can still write cohesively at 3 in the morning!" and "Wow, I can get incredibly carried away" especially when my fingers can manage to keep up with the strings of thoughts as they pass through the ticker in my head that is in charge of motor control.
 |
| A wordle of Tedtalk Tuesday--Happiness vs. Satisfaction |
I apologize.
I love words.
I love having things to say, and multiple ways of saying them. But sometimes I feel like I should revel more in the beauty of being succinct.
Last quarter I took a workshop class where I was required to write critiques for my classmates' work, and in return, they would critique mine. It was Kate Trueblood's senior seminar for fiction writing, so everyone was a brilliant writer...or at least, everyone employed the techniques that brilliant writers play with. Either way, I had a really good time writing my critiques because it helped me identify those combinations of literary devices that separate an effective piece from an amazing piece.
In my amazement at the talent of my classmates, I have to admit to getting carried away with my feedback. For every half-filled page of critiques that I received, I put out an entire page for each of my classmates in turn. Where they would identify my strengths in one concise sentence, I would carry on my compliments for a full paragraph before moving into editing suggestions. A page was simply not enough space to articulate my thoughts! I honestly wanted to sit down with a few of my classmates over coffee to just to talk about their work.
I'm not trying to say the critiques I received were too short--I'm actually saying the complete opposite--they were well thought out and to the point. Concise. Succinct. Beautiful.
They were every bit as helpful as I intended my own letters to be.
My problem is that I feel like writing helps me say too much. They told me my critiques were helpful because they were so extensive, but I wonder if I couldn't have said what I needed to in half the space. It would have saved me time and energy at least...
 | |
|
It's that traffic dam that causes such long pieces of writing. I'll read a piece and all the words I want to say come out at once, and by the time they're all down on "paper", I don't have the heart to edit them out.
But right now, there's a sense of balance--like the traffic lights that manage freeway pressure are finally doing their job properly and the flow of traffic is kept pretty even. In this state of mind I can let thoughts go.
I don't feel like there's a need to capture them all.
Do I write too much?
While reading through your post I identified with you on a few different points. I, too, find time flies when I am sitting at the keyboard, spending time in the world I create in my mind. Part of that joy, I think, comes from what you noted; the various ways to play with words and the endless combinations to express an idea or action. In response to your question, I would say no, you don't write too much. For me the best way to get ideas on the page is too type and type and type until I feel I have exhausted that idea. Then I go back and pair things down, adjust verbage, etc. You obviously have a passion for writing, so how could you even begin to think you write too much? Keep it up!
ReplyDeleteJust thought I should let you know I like this layout better than the one shown in class on Wednesday. The about you section is much easier to read on a separate page, and it gets rid of distractions from your blog post.
ReplyDeleteAs far as this class goes I dont mind if you make long blogs. I just posted my first blog and felt it was overly long so I will be returning the favor. As far as creating a popular widely read blog your posts are probably too long for any casual person moving through. But if you are making this simply for yourself and this class who cares? Its your writing, your ideas, your blog. Do what you want.
tl;dr "I write too much."
ReplyDeleteI agree.
I'll be your devil's advocate for this blog post. My wrists are terrible and despite the fact that I love to write - it literally pains me to do so. That and I'm definitely a sufferer of internet-ADD. I'm the sort of browser who looks at a body of text, sees its structure, reads a sentence here and there to understand the sentence structures, and decides in a matter of 10 to 15 seconds whether or not I'm going to skip the entire body of writing.
I read bits and pieces of this one. Enough to get the idea of what it was about.
On the other hand, I identify with your problem entirely. I did the same thing in my writing courses with feedback. In Fiction 351 with Yeasting, I loved my peers and their work. I wanted their work to grow and saw so much potential in it. I gave them tons of feedback and so did they for me.
Anyhow, by now I'm betting that you're thinking, "For being the devil's advocate and saying I typed too much it sure is ironic that he has the longest comment." Point noted and entirely justified. I am a hypocrite.
@Cirque: ohthanks. I'm glad you at least skimmed it. ugh! and this was my SHORT one. Shall I just stick to a tumblr form for posts? a meme here, a snarky comment there, a wise quote... something that takes about 10-15 seconds to read entirely? ...someday.
DeleteAnd do I sense pride in that declaration of "I am a hypocrite?" I like that. embrace it: we all are in one way or another. =)
I think it's always better to err on the side of "writing too much," as then you have something to work with and pare down. The blog form has certainly been an exercise for me in paring (though you wouldn't know it from my posts!)
ReplyDeleteHow did you do the "wordle" thing?
oh, but then you have so much editing to do! =)
DeleteI will admit, I love editing, but it's definitely the more challenging part of writing. And should one ever edit a blog post? I know there's the strikethrough method...but in terms of completely editing? I don't think I could ever bring myself to be as cold and unforgiving with my edits as I would with a piece of paper and a colored pen in hand.
and as for the wordle: http://www.wordle.net/create
I just copied the text from my blog post, and pasted the whole thing into the wordle box and clicked "go". It says you can use URLs to blogs, too, but I haven't tried that yet.
Then I spent the next half hour picking all the right colors and randomizing the text and whatnot. Much fun. =)
@Tommy and @brewingnoob: Thank you for the words of encouragement. I'll WILL do what I want. =P (oh. but now I sound snobby and spoiled, a bit like Veruca Salt. hmm...)
ReplyDelete