By Toni Partington
In my last two columns, you’ve defined your internal and external
writing spaces. Now let’s talk about the realities of everyday life.
Think about how you move from one role (employee, parent,
student, partner) to another. How you juggle these many identities and seem to
make things work on the busiest days. Now, think about yourself as the
poet-writer. Where does it fit in? If you answered, “Everywhere,” there’s
probably no need to read further. If you said, “There’s never enough time,” or
“It’s on my list but doesn’t seem to get done,” or “I save it up for the weekend,”
then read on, my friend.
Imagine how it would feel if writing became an
everyday practice of living. Look around, there’s plenty to write
about: overheard tidbits that catch your ear, the interesting profile of the
person in the car ahead of you, pink tree blossoms in the wind. What if you
made notes throughout the day about what you saw, heard, imagined, experienced,
felt? What if you looked that list over and turned it into a line or two? What
if?
Frequently, I pull to the side of the road to make notes,
stop my shopping cart mid-aisle to write, ask the person on the other end of
the phone to hold for a minute. I’m not being rude, I’m integrating the writer
in me into all I do. Sure, I have a wide variety of roles – (grant writer,
life-career coach, mom, partner, friend) but in each role I am still a poet. In
fact, I am a poet first; and just saying this influences how I view my life. It
doesn’t diminish the importance of my other roles. It enhances them.
Some of us like structure while others like flow. You
can do it either way. For example, if you prefer structure, you could decide to
be in the observer’s role at a specific time. You may select an outing or even
a mundane activity and let the poet-observer take the lead. At first it will
feel more like segmenting than integration, but it will give you the
opportunity to let the poet be in charge so that you can feel what that’s like.
In a more fluid or “flow” mode, you are integrating the
poet at all (or most) times. You are tuned in to let your encounters,
experiences, and situations lead the writing. In other words, you are present
as life unfolds and you are determined to capture what you can in writing.
To do either, carry a small, pocket size notebook
everywhere. When you have a thought, observation or idea, take the time to write it down. Don’t
wait; I promise it won’t be there later. Hard as you try, you won’t be able to
capture that thought in just that way.
Once you have a few notes it’s like having a poetry savings
account. You can add to it or draw from it. It’s there and it’s yours.
Try this!
Evaluate your writing
mindset. Does it feel selfish or self-indulgent to spend time writing?
Would your life be enriched by the time you set aside to write? Take one thing
at a time – start by imagining what life will be like if you integrate the
parts of you that have been disconnected from each other. Imagine writing as a
priority that gets your time and attention on a regular basis.
Decide on a time of
day to review what you’ve written (with morning coffee, before bed, ten
minutes in the car after work – whatever feels right to you). Ponder the words,
sketches, phrases, quotes – what do they bring to mind? Do you want to build on
any part of it, link things together, use something as a prompt for more
writing?
Next, the major
challenge: choose
your designated time to write – to expand your notes into poems.
Specifically, when in your day or week is your sacred writing time? We all know
that it’s good to be flexible – but not so good to give away this precious time
when you have deemed it important.
Claim your writing self. To set aside the time as a regular practice is to make a statement to yourself and others that you value writing and have chosen to integrate it fully into your lifestyle. If you use a calendar, blackberry or some form of time organization, add in this designated time and activity. If you make it a priority and say it out loud, it is likely that you will follow through.
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Toni Partington lives and works in Vancouver, WA. Her poetry has appeared in the NW Women’s Journal, the Anthology of the River Poets’ Society, VoiceCatcher 3, the Cascade Journal, and others. Toni’s other work includes career/life coaching, editing services for new and emerging writers, and grant writing. This winter she joined the editorial collective for VoiceCatcher 4. She holds a BA in Social Work and an MA focused on Literature and Literary Editing. Before that, Toni was a high-school drop out, pregnant and then married at age 16 whose life came faster than it should have and toughened her into a self-described survivor. Today, her circle includes family, friends, dogs and poets, not in any particular order.
Blog: www.poettone.blogspot.com
Email: tpartington@earthlink.net
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