Summerthinking.

I had this series of good conversations with a friend yesterday while we were being rained upon (downpoured upon, really). One of the things she was telling me about was this really successful writing project she engaged in as part of one of her college writing classes. For the project, she was supposed to become an expert on a particular aspect of nature through lots of disciplined observation and research. She said—and this is the part that I really keyed into—that some of her best writing came from this endeavor, because she had something authentic to focus her thoughts and energies on.

This strikes me, and not only as a great idea for a unit. Sometimes—okay, often—I feel like that authentic focus is missing from my writing, and, if I’m going to be honest about it, my thoughts and sometimes my actions? My thoughts don’t get real real until they come out into words, and still, unless I start with something particular, or at least end up at something particular, it’s just a lot of hosey blabbering. I would like—would like—to avoid the hosey blabber this summer. But I find myself compelled to write even without a focus, even without a purpose. I guess that’s what journaling is. Which is not what a blog is. So this doesn’t really belong on a blog? But lately—and this is a relatively new phenomenon for sure—I want to share or at least make available whatever it is that I’m writing. Because I’m narcissistic like that?

Anyway, I’m going to put this up in the hopes that it will drive me towards less unruly, half-formed sentiments in future. So, you know, you don’t have to read this post. Except you just did, I guess.