Not Quite Unproductive

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I've been off work for almost a week. Taking time to chill and attempt to do nothing, to be unproductive, which is relative. Doing nothing has included walking every day, playing taxi, taking naps, going to the store for things we've run out of and things we forgot, wandering, looking for inspiration, meandering on the internet, reading, doing dishes. And following the updates for the Federal judge to overturn the marriage equality ban in Oregon (which happened today!).

Then today a shift happened. A return to editing the M-book. Another look at where it is now. I'm finishing up this draft - even though I know there are some major changes I will be making. But I need - want - to get this version's edits completed before I move forward.The goals for this version were to fill in some gaps of the story and to even out some inconsistencies and redundancies. I am about 85% done with this version, which I hope to complete before I return to work.
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Upcoming Project

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from SHOW YOUR WORK by Austin Kleon

I have an idea.

It was inspired by one of the books I'm reading right now, Show Your Work by Austin Kleon. I loved his earlier book, Steal Like An Artist, and knew that I had to have his at-that-time-upcoming new book.

I've read bits here and there. My reading time has been more focused on Othello (preparing to interpret the play) and another writing book in progress, and Ariel Gore's new memoir, The End of Eve - which I highly recommend. Ariel's book is a well crafted, tight story which grabs you on the first page and takes you on a wonderful ride through the on and off caring of her mother as she dies from lung cancer (I know - those words "wonderful" and "dies" and "lung cancer" don't belong together - but she does it) and a breakup and raising a young child. Read it! And I was also reading Contents May Have Shifted by Pam Houston - the first of her books I've read and I like it.

Today I had some time and Show Your Work was on the top of the "things to do" I'd brought with me. I opened the book and what I read connected. It was not a stretch to make it fit with a conversation with my partner last night. It was a perfect fit. So I read a bunch. Then I went back to the beginning of the book and started over with page one. And I read. I read every chance I had today and made mental notes and quoted him in tweets and in a couple of emails to my partner.

I'm not ready to announce what my project is, yet. I have learned to think it through first, if in doubt. And Kleon says in this book that, if there is doubt, to put it away and give yourself 24 hours. Which is what I'm going to do. I may run it past my writing group Friday night - to see what they think of it.

But I have energy and excitement about doing this thing. Also a little bit of fear; but in a good way - in a "this is exciting and scary and positive" way.

It is about writing.

And it is about "showing your work." My work.

I will get back to you if I still think it's a good idea on Friday night.
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Quote

"Raw enthusiasm is contagious." 

Austin Kleon in "Show Your Work"

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Submissions are open at Calyx - Flash Fiction contest & Poetry contest

     

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Reading & Writing & Shakepeare

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The interpreted performance of Othello was last Thursday. And we will be interpreting it again next Thursday at the matinee. But the first performance is the one which requires hours and hours of preparation - and even more so for Shakespeare. The second interpreted performance requires a refresher and perhaps a few changes based on the first one - but all of the time goes into preparing to do it the first time.

It went really well and I'm looking forward to the second interpreted performance, which will have a large number of D/deaf/Hard of Hearing audience members. Which always makes it more fun.

Even with working on Shakespeare, I have been writing every day. Writing at least one poem every day, and sometimes working on a short story as well. I like these creatively fruitful times. And I hope they will last - and I feel there is a chance this river of creative flow will continue, since I have maintained it during this heavy show preparation period. 

I have also done four floats for the Float On Writers' Program this month, which required that I write and submit something which came from the float, within 24 hours. This has been an interesting process as I have not floated on a weekly basis before. I have done some writing after floating, but not at this level. It has been interesting to see what has come out of my floats onto the page. 

It is not surprising that water has been involved in all of my float writings. The first two were essays about my float experience, both with some abstraction or surrealism. The third piece came out as a poem. Again, that probably isn't a surprise since I have been writing a poem each day since April 1st. But I didn't intend to write a poem and tried to steer it towards prose, but it wouldn't budge. It was a poem and wanted to stay that way. Then my final piece was a hybrid prose + poem and it was much more abstract than the earlier three pieces. I was also able to take the notes I made immediately after my float and turn them into my poem for today.

My creative energy is also being fueled by reading. Which is as it should be and, I know, is also not surprising. I am reading some good books right now, so I thought I would list them as well. I am still reading them - but from what I've read so far, I recommend them. 

"Contents May Have Shifted" by Pam Houston (fiction)

"Three Uses of the Knife: On the Nature and Purpose of Drama" by David Mamet (writing, nonfiction)

"This Won't Take But a Minute, Honey" by Steve Almond (stories & essays)

"Show Your Work" by Austin Kleon (creativity, nonfiction)

"The Red Road" by Denise Mina (crime/mystery novel - I'm listening to the audiobook while I drive)

I realize I haven't written about the writing workshop weekend in Port Townsend a couple of weeks ago, either. Rather than glossing over it and not giving it the space and time it deserves, I will just say that it was an amazing weekend with Lidia Yuknavitch and Pam Houston, and eleven other writers. It was work the cramp on my schedule and I have another insight for the M-book which is going to make a significant difference. I will write more about all of this later.

Writing is happening. Interpreting work is happening. Theatre is happening. 

Life is good.

Oh, and we saw Cirque du Soleil's "Totem" today and it was fabulous. And inspiring in color, sound, and seeing what the human body is capable of doing.

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Progress!

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I have been writing every day. At least once every day. And I do mean creatively writing; not just responding to emails, business correspondence, taking notes, etc. Really writing.

In case I haven't mentioned it (I know, I know - I've said it; more than once) I am participating in NaPoWriMo - National Poetry Writing Month. I mean, it is National Poetry Month, so why not join in the fun and create some? Right?

All of my daily poems are being posted over on The Writing Vein Playground. In their mostly first draft states. A few have had some minor edits; some are right out of my brain/heart-hand connection. One of the poems - from Friday 4/18 - is an excerpt of a longer piece. It was created after the third of my four "writing floats" - as a part of the Writers' Program in which I'm participating at Float On. Since the piece was written for Float On, for potential use in an anthology in the future, I posted only one stanza and left the piece in its entirety unpublished.

I still have my Tuesday morning writing jams with Rooze. We are trying a new location this coming week, as the place where we've been meeting has taken to turning up the volume on their music and there seems to be more conversation (amongst and from the staff; over the music). And it is too loud and distracting for writing. We will continue to meet and write - just changing the venue.

It has been a bit of a challenge to write a poem every day, continue the Tuesday writing, create another new piece of writing every week within 24 hours of my float - and to be in heavy preparation to interpret "Othello" next week. But I've done it. I am doing it. Perhaps proving to myself, again, that writing begets writing. Right? The more you write the easier it is to write and the writing comes easier and so it goes. For me in this moment, it feels pretty amazing that I am still doing all of this writing - and prepping for Shakespeare.
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"The Microsoft Windows of English Poetry"

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I clicked over to NaPoWriMo to get the daily prompt. Oh! A form! I'm doing well with writing in form for NaPoWriMo this year and this is a new form for me to play with.

Then I saw it - the title I used for today's post. It made me laugh out loud, so I had to share it here.

Today, I challenge you to write a poem in terza rima. This form was invented by Dante, and used in The Divine Comedy. It consists of three-line stanzas, with a “chained” rhyme scheme. The first stanza is ABA, the second is BCB, the third is CDC, and so on. No particular meter is necessary, but English poets have tended to default to iambic pentameter (iambic pentameter is like the Microsoft Windows of English poetry). One common way of ending a terza rima poem is with a single line standing on its own, rhyming with the middle line of the preceding three-line stanza. 

Now on to write my terza rima.
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Write a "Replacement" Poem

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This one from NaPoWriMo looks like fun!

I haven't written mine, yet. I will. But I have planted all of the spinach (two types), kale (two
types), onions, rainbow carrots, and tomatoes (one plant each of three types). And mowed the grassy areas (or should I say grass-like areas?).

Now I have to clean up so I can go watch Othello tonight! Carolyn and Rich saw it last week and Carolyn and I are going tonight. The three of us (Rich Hall, Carolyn Brockway, and I) will be interpreting Othello at Portland Center Stage on April 24th at 7:30 pm and May 1st at noon (the matinee may already be sold out).


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Here is the prompt - I am looking forward to getting my hands on it! Maybe over dinner before Othello.

Today’s (optional) prompt is a “replacement” poem. Pick a common noun for a physical thing, for example, “desk” or “hat” or “bear,” and then pick one for something intangible, like “love” or “memories” or “aspiration.” Then Google your tangible noun, and find some sentences using it. Now, replace that tangible noun in those sentences with your intangible noun, and use those sentences to create (or inspire) a poem. Here’s a little example that replaces the word “lemon,” in sentences from a Wikipedia article on lemons, with the word “sorrow.” 

Sorrow is a small evergreen tree native to Asia.
The origin of sorrow is a mystery.
The first substantial cultivation of sorrow in Europe
began in Genoa in the middle of the 15th century.
A halved sorrow dipped in salt or baking powder
is used to brighten copper cookware. One educational
science experiment involves attaching electrodes
to sorrow and using it as a battery.
Although very low power, several sorrows
can power a small digital watch. 

Goofy, but also interesting! It’s not quite a poem yet, but there might be a poem in there, waiting to come out. Happy writing!

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NaPoWriMo Prompt: Drinking Song

From NaPoWriMo : "Poets have been writing about love and wine, wine and love, since . . . well, since the time of Anacreon, a Greek poet who was rather partial to that subject matter. Anacreon developed a particular meter for his tipsy, lovey-dovey verse, but Anacreontics in English generally do away with meter-based constraints. Anacreontics might be described as a sort of high-falutin' drinking song. So today I challenge you to write about wine-and-love. Of course, you may have no love of wine yourself, in which case you might try an anti-Anacreontic poem."