You are your deep, driving desire
—Upanishads
Tools Of Writing
After her death, Emily Dickinson’s sister found a manuscript of over 1800 handwritten poems neatly bound with string in the drawer of Emily’s writing desk. Pen, ink and paper along with a view from her upstairs room were the tools of her creativity.
I prefer to write my journal entries by hand before typing them into the computer. My thoughts flow more freely when I write in longhand and besides, I am a very slow typist. My typing speed does not keep up with the speed of my thoughts. When I write longhand, I can place an errant thought in the margins and return to it later. I can doodle when the thoughts cease to flow. I can pause without the screen going to black.
I have used various types of journals, mostly received as gifts, over the course of my years, but the one I am most comfortable with is the black and white Comp Book with college margins and thin lines. It suits me. I have a number of them on my bookcase in various states of fullness. When I occasionally pick one up and leaf through it, I can identify my mood or emotion just from the style of my handwriting even before reading the words.
The most important factor for my writing is not a tool at all. It is the aesthetics of the place where I write. I don’t chose to write in coffee shops or at the beach or even outside for that matter. How could I possible write a poem while sitting in a garden where each flower is a sonnet, a haiku or a sestina? I like to write at a desk or table in a room or space of my own. A place that cradles me in familiar warmth and smells. I like to have a window in my room with a view of the world outside whether it be kids playing, birds singing or just quiet stillness. It doesn’t matter.
The other factor important to my writing is time. I like to set aside a few hours to have enough time to sink my teeth into the subject. I make written notes or reminders to myself in the short spans of time between appointments or daily tasks but for serious writing I like to have time. It is a special gift that only I can give to me.
Photo Credit: Work Space, SEPhillips, Digital Image, 2005.