School's out as of two o'clock today. I've been ready for weeks, looking forward to the way summer slows things down around here. You may remember my concern last year about how I would get writing done with The Kid home from school – and you may also remember my delight as we fell into an easy rhythm that left me able to accomplish a good deal of writing. The key was relinquishing my expectations. I began the summer expecting nothing, thinking I would not write a single word over the summer, then everything I did write felt like a gift, a bonus.
This year I know what to expect. I know I'll be able to get some smallish projects done, that as long as I don't expect great chunks of uninterrupted writing time, I'll be able to write.
I was reminded yesterday of the power of saying things out loud, of holding yourself publicly accountable. (Thanks, Karen.) In light of that, I present my three pronged, TRIDENT OF CREATIVITY for the summer.
1. I'm going to wreck a journal along with Magpie Girl and Jamie Ridler and some other friendly folks. I'll be blogging about this on Fridays.
2. I'm going to do a daily five minute free write exercise with The Kid. I've been doing the ten minute version of these a la Peter Elbow for all of my writing life. The Kid needs a little work on his penmanship, and I'll get to brainstorm some writing ideas. We're going to take turns providing writing prompts.
3. I'm going to focus on sending last year's work out to be published – at least two submissions a week.
So there it is, out loud, in public, and in color – my TRIDENT OF SUMMER CREATIVITY.
What are your plans for the summer?
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Work. Make some art. Become more ardent in my yoga practice. Finish the washcloth I'm knitting.
ReplyDeleteOh! I love to knit washcloths. I'm sewing a bunch of them together this summer to make a bedspread!
ReplyDeleteI like your plans - and ardent is one of my very favorite words.
I love the image of the Trident - especially if it works for you!
ReplyDeleteI love your trident! :)
ReplyDeleteLet's see -- I think that my summer will be about two teenage boys with learner's permits, packing and moving boxes to the basement, continuing to walk a lot.
Do they teach penmanship these days? When Jesse was in 1st grade (B.H. Before Homeschooling), his teacher said that the state testing didn't give them time to teach the kids how to form their letters. The kids were winging it.
We ALL have terrible penmanship, but I have a couple of amazing typists! ;)
Hey Laura! I'm still sending good moving vibes to you guys. Nothing beats the smell of cardboard in the morning, huh?
ReplyDeleteMax's fine motor skills are still where most eight year old boys are. His handwriting can be a little tricky to decipher sometimes. We are just shooting for all around legibility. He is an whiz on the keyboard too.
Are you drawing at all? Moving has ALWAYS messed with my creative mojo.
I LOVE Wreck This Journal!!! Looking forward to seeing what you do :-)
ReplyDeleteI am going to WRECK the HECK out of my journal, spend time with my family/friends and hopefully do some writing. Look forward to seeing you get wonderfully wrecked:)
ReplyDeleteI think I've missed something...wreck a journal? I need to go and investigate...
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