Mindful Reading: Boice pp 129-138

Maintenance Problems: When I think about the end of this week and the parting of ways that always accompanies the end of the term, I start thinking about what it'll be like to strike out on my own, to be in control of my own writing-destiny, and to walk high on the wire without a net. I think of all the support and routine I've had and built over the past three weeks, and I wonder what it will be like when I'm forced to rejoin the 'real world'. Four weeks has taught me a lot, but I'm nervous. Imagine what Boice's writers were thinking after 9 months of support and community, only to be similarly forced out on their own: no wonder there're relapses.

Durability is the key here. To avoid the peaks and valleys that scuttle most regular-writing programs. It's not just an issue of avoiding the lows (brought on by depression), but also managing the highs as well (hypomania, binging, not stopping, etc). Holding one's self back is a very strange concept to me, and I suppose I've had trouble with it in the past. Some of my blocks create the necessity to binge, and while it's happening it feels okay, and then the project's done, so what's not to like. Well, it's hard to be a person, as we've talked about. But that's also a sure-fire way to not return to the writing and to really dread doing it in the first place.

A measured, steady pace of writing must be striven for. Boice's suggestions are helpful, too, for trying to get me to that place.

Mindful Reading: Boice pp 100-107

Turning Boice into Practice:

Further along in the Fluency chapter, Boice provides some suggestions for putting his advice into practice. I feel like he's starting to push us a little bit more in this chapter, and asks that we do the same with ourselves. I feel like his tone is less compassionate in this chapter, but not in an offputting way. I actually appreciate the way he is pushing us to put all of the various advice, rules, practices into our own routines.

As for me, I am going to focus my own efforts on 4. Establish moderately undisrupting conditions at your writing site (106-7). For his suggestions, Boice suggests that we take precautions for productive conditions. Here are some that I am going to use:

• Arrange a regular work site where you do writing and little else: I can definitely do that. I have a desk in an office, but that darn thing is so covered in piles of newspapers and old student folders, I haven't seen the top of it in weeks. But I'll do the Boice, and start digging so I can have a space of my own for writing. 
• Keep interruptions at a minimum: This will be trickier. I am around amazing people (one in particular) a lot of the time when I'm trying to work. However, I was really moved by Boice when he said that "other people will look for clear, unambiguous signals from you about how important your writing is to you." YES! Part of the reason she's amazing, is because she's really smart and recognizes my signals ONLY when they're unambiguous. I think I can make this work.
• All non-life-threatening emergencies can wait until the BDS has been completed: Okay, yes. But this seems to sort of push against the other rules Boice has meticulously laid out. If we claim to moderately prioritize writing, then I would say there are many things that would warrant a break in the BDS. But oh well, hopefully nothing comes up that even makes me choose.

These suggestions are all geared to increase FOCUS. Something I think I could really benefit from. 

Focus -----> Fluency ----> Confidence------> Productivity

Mindful Writing: Boice pp 64-72

I thoroughly agree with Boice on may of his points. Most of all when he describes his writers' aversions to outlining. There're many reasons why I've been averse to putting much down in a pre-writing draft, mostly because I felt stifled and constrained when I had a definite plan of what was going to be said and how. I really came around on this idea when on page 71, Boice talks about the fluidity and flexibility of the outline. Instead of this being THE PLAN, Boice places it in the context of pre-writing. This made much more sense to me and I can really see how this would inspire a greater sense of imagination, planning, rewriting, and thoughtfulness in the overall writing process.

Boice's example of his outline seemed like an outline that had been worked on a few times. However, his illustration still shows how outlining can encourage elaboration, thus making the process of 'writing' more enjoyable, productive, and stimulating.

One thing I learned during our BDS yesterday (or was it the day before) was that I often have much more to say about something than I think I do. With a regular practice of connecting, organizing, cataloging, and rearranging, I think I would have even more to say about how my ideas work into others' ideas. The other day, I set out to get a general outline of a book review I'm working on. And while I thought I was too early in the process to really have much to say about the review, I ended up filling an entire page with a (very loosely structured) outline. Boice's advice seems to all be working for me, and it makes me wonder if he's a genius, or if he's just really really really good at naming the unnamable. More on that in a later post.

***Author's Note***

During this blog-writing session I found that I was carrying a lot of tension in my face/jaw/mouth. I made a conscious effort to be mindful of my tongue position in my mouth. And while I found myself thinking about it a lot, repositioning my tongue actually allowed me to stay more connected to my writing. Yay for Mindfulness!