You may have come to think of writing as a solitary, lonely process. And sometimes it is, especially during the pandemic. But writing is a social exchange. We write, often, to publish and put our writing out into the world. Here other people interact with our words, read it, understand it, and sometimes respond.
As a lifelong writer, I do often write in isolation, but I find my best writing comes from sharing it with other writers, or a mentor, and getting their feedback. How do you use speech to further your writing?
I find myself having writerly thoughts as I am driving, walking, swimming. I pull over and blog on my iPhone if I get a good thought. I used to have a notebook in my car, by my bed stand, but it often disappeared when I needed it. I find I have by IPhone more regularly.
I’ve got a book, Touch My Head Softly, coming out soon from Finishing Line Press. There is always work around a new book, with readings and interviews, but I find myself looking toward my new work eagerly. I haven’t really decided on the next collection, but some new ideas are germinating.
Do you think about your writing as you go through your day? Do you write the thoughts down and write from them later?
Here’s the link to my new book on Finishing Line Press:
Lawrence Ferlinghetti, author of A Coney Island of the Mind, Love in the Days of Rage, and Pictures of the Gone World, died at age 101. He identified as a philosophical anarchist and was part of the beat movement, including Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac. He co-founded City Lights Booksellers & Publishers in San Francisco. He was also a fine artist who painted for many years.
He gained notoriety when he published Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl,” and was indicted for selling obscene material. This led to a famous censorship case, the People v. Ferlinghetti, that forwarded the cause of stopping convictions for selling books. The failed attempt at prosecuting him led him to joke that “the police took over the advertising account and did a much better job.”
He was a rebellious poet, a courageous publisher, and bookseller who would not be intimidated about selling books. He was a major literary figure and force who will be missed.
My new book of poems, Touch My Head Softly, is just out from Finishing Line Press. Check it out:
Have you ever seen a door and wondered what is on the other side?
The idea that you can create by opening a door goes back centuries. A note was found
in a Latin grammar from the monastery of St. Gall in Switzerland in approximately 848
that describes an Irish scribe going outside and writing a poem under trees.
You could open a heart door that would enable you to write about things that you love or your favorite things. The door could be an observation door where you record things you carefully observe. A memory door could lead you to memories, good or bad, that you have saved away in the back of your mind. A wonder door could lead you to things you question, or wonder about. A political door could lead you to write about your concerns in the world.
With the pandemic, the world is in lockdown and there are many closed doors.
We all long for the day with those doors will be open again and life will return to normal.
While we are on lockdown, our minds can wander and explore our thoughts, our wants and our imagination.
My new book, Touch My Head Softly, is now out from Finishing Line Press:
Have you ever seen a door and wondered what is on the other side?
The idea that you can create by opening a door goes back centuries. A note was found
in a Latin grammar from the monastery of St. Gall in Switzerland in approximately 848
that describes an Irish scribe going outside and writing a poem under trees.
You could open a heart door that would enable you to write about things that you love or your favorite things. The door could be an observation door where you record things you carefully observe. A memory door could lead you to memories, good or bad, that you have saved away in the back of your mind. A wonder door could lead you to things you question, or wonder about. A political door could lead you to write about your concerns in the world.
With the pandemic, the world is in lockdown and there are many closed doors.
We all long for the day with those doors will be open again and life will return to normal.
While we are on lockdown, our minds can wander and explore our thoughts, our wants and our imagination.
My new book, Touch My Head Softly, is now out from Finishing Line Press:
Straw Dog Writers Guild, the largest group of writers in the Pioneer Valley, has featured my new book, Touch My Head Softly, on their Facebook Page. Take a look:
For any of you who have practiced Elbow’s freewriting technique, “speaking onto the page,” is it a useful method? Whenever I get stuck, I do this. I’ve done it in writing groups, speaking into a recorder, or just reading aloud for myself. It seldom fails to produce some piece of writing. The writing may not be my best, or may wind up unused, but it’s a way of getting started and perhaps generating something that eventually will be used.
Elbow also recommends this for editing, for writing that winds up ‘correct.’ You can do this while keeping those virtues of natural speech, and getting rid of what’s not suitable for the genre you’re writing in. This can also add a new infusion to your old writing, by speaking it onto the page, reading it out loud, and hearing what sounds easy. Sometimes when you hear it, it just sounds different than when you read it. I used this technique in developing my new collection of poetry, Touch My Head Softly.
This is the link to my new collection at Finishing Line Press:
I can’t listen to music with words, as it interferes with my word process, but wordless music, classic or jazz, can sometimes enhance my writing. A Bach piece with choral work or John Coltrane’s horn can bring me there.
I guess combining art forms is usually a good thing. I’ve happily done readings of my poetry in art galleries. I think the art enhances the reading. How do you use the arts to enhance your writing?
My upcoming book, Touch My Head Softly is due out in early 2021;
There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception.” ― Aldous Huxley
For the artist, the world is shaped by perspective. It is that ability to view things from their own unique point of view, yet contextualize this point of view in factual reality. Can everything be defined in a limited world? Can the artist place his/her/their work in the larger framework?
As a writer, I try to contextualize my work in the larger world, but it changes so rapidly. I find I have just gotten my pen around one situation when another arises to contradict the first.
I have been doing phone banks these past few weeks to get out the vote for the presidential election. I try to listen to other people’s perspectives when I speak with them because if there is no dialogue, there is no bridge to unification and understanding between people. If I can’t listen to someone, I can’t convince them of my point of view. The country is so divided that I fear we will never come together again. There are so many signs in front of people’s homes, even in my own community, that advocate different philosophies. How will we all find a common voice after the election?
The dream state is sometimes a source of inspiration for writers, but this is the opposite of reality. But writes thrive on illusion, on an alternate view of what is.
As we pass through daily living, we pass through many―colored lenses that paint our writing with its own view. Yet how do we bring our view back to the world view, so everyone can relate?
My book, Touch My Head Softly, was recommended by Brilliant Light Publishing. It is my perspective on Alzheimer’s Disease. Take a look:
I don’t know how you deal with self-doubt and self-criticism, but I know that loving life helps.
In the midst of a pandemic, I know this is hard. But I have been trying to come up every day with something to be grateful for. I live in Western Massachusetts, which has some of the loveliest landscapes and lakes on the earth. I canoe with my partner often. I find focusing on nature is a great antidote. I have a porch that looks out on a beautiful meadow and even while I’m sitting in my study writing, I’ll go out to the porch and look at a tree or plant or flower.
My latest collection of poetry is coming out soon. Check it out:
Eileen P. Kennedy Author 