Mindful Reading: Boice pp 1-5

When Professor Strickland asked us to carry our mindful practices into our reading, I was a bit apprehensive at first. I thought it would be limiting and constricting to only take up five pages at a time of a reading. If there's anything I've learned in my time in school, it's that there is always something else that you could read (and profs. usually seem to assign limitless amounts of reading). But as I read the first pages of Boice, I found it to be comforting to know I was only responsible for a few pages. It allowed me to take it really slow, to consider what he was saying, and (most importantly) to weigh his ideas against my own experiences.

To illustrate his catalog of obstacles to regular, mindful writing, Boice may just as well have been watching me try and write over the past year. I was able to relate to almost all of his examples of counter-productive writing: passivity, binging, elation (followed by depression), and not approaching writing as a social act. I, like the people he quotes in this chapter, was able to produce some material in this time. But I certainly didn't set myself up to be able to sustain any type of writing program (which is something I am excited to practice in this class).

For me, I think there are two main ways I will be able to journey to comfort and fluency. The first is already built into the class: Brief Daily Sessions. I want to unyoke myself from the waiting/binging cycle and make writing more a part of my daily life. Second, I want to make writing a more social act (something Boice points to as a way to shed light on some of these problems writers have). The image on page 5 of Proust naked in his chamber, feverishly scribbling away was one that I could (sadly) relate to. The woman quoted on page 4 who forsook her entire social life to binge on writing her novel is also one that I could relate to, along with the subsequent feelings of despair at forgetting how to be a person. Practicing these two things will hopefully bring me closer to being the type of writer I want to be. I am truly a social person, and I take time out of my day (everyday) to be social with different people. Combining that with a regular, unhurried, moderately emotional writing experience, I think I will be able to move further towards a productive writing practice which I can sustain over my career.

******** Author's Note *******

I am usually listening to music as I write. I will usually include what I'm listening to in my posts. Today I went back in time for some easy-listening singer-songwriter stuff. If you haven't before, I would highly recommend listening to Jack Johnson for concentrating, for dozing off, or for putting yourself in a good mood. Enjoy!