Friday Afterword

conditions the same

At the beginning of January, I answered one of Kristin's questions about how blogging had changed my journal habits. Now, I've noticed that since I've reached a routine on this blog, my paper journal only comes out on Fridays when I begin a new draft, and I don't even finish the draft in the paper journal. I write in the journal until the lines coalesce to a tipping point and then I move to the computer to draft it out. My handwriting has devolved and my typing is much quicker. I find I can keep up more easily with the lines forming in my head if I type rather than hand write. Still, I wonder about losing that connection between the body and the mind that Wendell Berry talked about back in the late 80's in an article I read about his writing practice. He defends the slowness of his process (using a pencil he sharpens with is own pocket knife, only writing by sun light, etc.) as a way to access the muscle memory of his hand, all the way up his arm, through his shoulder and neck to his mind. In Berry's argument, this type of writing is more organic, more true. I used to believe this wholeheartedly and only went to the computer once I had a complete handwritten draft. My process has obviously evolved and I just wonder what impact that has made on my poems. I suppose this is something I'll never fully know.

Finally, many thanks to those of you reading this blog! While I know you all aren't demanding a draft a week, knowing you are out there, Dear Reader, motivates me to be able to write a draft so I can write my weekly drafting post. It's almost like the expectation of having a new piece to take to workshop even though I don't share the drafts with you. Oh, and I forgot to say that this week's draft is titled "Midwest Nursery Tales."