Friday, January 20, 2006

Week Two in Review

Let's see...I did morning pages 4 days this week. Didn't feel too inspired by the reading, I admit. But, my journal project is on the drawing board and I also redesigned my other blog, Blueberry Pie. It just had a standard Blogger theme going on before (not that there's anything wrong with that...) and I was sort of getting tired of it. So I designed a new header and changed the template, which took more bravery than it did skill or creativity. I was holding my breath as I clicked Use This Template! I like it for now. I felt so crushed this week; it seemed as if every day was comprised of seamless running around and multitasking.

My blog has been my main creative endeavor for the last four months. It started out as a record of my daughter's first year and has expanded a bit to include my philosophical musings and post-partum angst. I love writing it, and I have to remember not to get too hung up on Is it good? I just want it to be honest. Honest, entertaining and highly readable. (Is that too much to ask? Is it wrong or inauthentic to want my writing to be read and loved? Am I supposed to be doing it for myself? I've been wondering about these things.)

I would like to go on a writing retreat, or do a writing workshop. Or take a class. Or something to breathe some new life into my writing. In the shower the other night I was trying to think of words I rarely use that make me feel good. Peony came to mind. It all started because I was thinking how I couldn't wait to get up the next morning and have homemade chai and hemp waffles with peanut butter and honey. The language alone was nurturing. But I digress.

TWENTY THINGS I LIKE TO DO
1. sing, esp with other people
2. walk in the woods
3. go to museums
4. lounge in coffeeshops and bookstores
5. have guests over for a lovely meal that I cooked
6. write
7. watch Six Feet Under
8. go to music festivals
9. write letters
10. take road trips
11. read books
(I never make time for books. Just magazines and blogs.)
12. make movies
13. be around plants
14. sleep in
15. talk philosophy/God
16. collage
17. watch movies
18. have a massage
19. batik
20. listen to Irish music

(Lists are so neat and tidy, aren't they?)

TEN TINY CHANGES
1. I would like to learn Italian.
2. I would like to go to Italy.
3. I would like to walk every day, work up to running
and run a 5K in April.
4. I would like to learn Appalachian clogging.
5. I would like to have a garden.
6. I would like to sing with Jane Siberry.
7. I would like to make a documentary about mothers and daughters.
8. I would like to paint Tessa's room.
9. I would like to sell a bunch of my books to a used book store.
1o. I would like to spend more time with my girlfriends.

For my Artist's date this week, I went on a long walk in the woods. The weather has been so mild and the relative warmth awakens this ambrosial, earthen scent. It smells sort of vernal, sort of peppery, somewhere between freshness and decay. Completely intoxicating.

On to Week Three...

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I write about similar things on my blog that you do on Blueberry Pie. Like yourself, I want people to read it and enjoy it. I find though, that the posts that generate the most comments, and the posts that I later come to love are the ones that came easily and naturally, without me trying to "write well"

Funny how that happens. It's kind of irritating actually. Because it seems like the best posts are just little gems that I was lucky enough to sputter out and it's pretty hard to just come up with on at will.

eliza said...

that smell! i LOVE it. thanks for the excellent word snapshot of one of my favorite things IN THE WORLD.

Lori-Lyn said...

I love the way you write (and those waffles sound divine!)

Anonymous said...

i too, love your writing style! i think taking a class or workshop sounds like great fun! i hope to always be taking little classes and workshops, it always teaches me something about life or art. :-)

Anonymous said...

I love the new design, very good! I am hopeless at all things HTML and design, so I think it's quite a feat to do anything web design-related.

And I think that everyone blogs differently - some people say, "I just do it for me," but I am not one of those people. I do it for myself, as a avenue to write, but I want it to be good. I want people to like my writing and like ME. And yes, I care about comments! It's confession time for me! So I think it's okay to say you want your writing to be read and loved.

I'm with you on doing a writing retreat - you've inspired me to look around and see what's available around here. Something, anything!

Helen said...

You really do have a wonderful way with words. And oooooooh do I hear ya about changing the design of your blog. I've done that several times and also many times stayed up until midnight trying to FIX something I goofed! I love love the blueberries design. Good work. And your lists are fabulous. You go girl!

Teri said...

Really interesting discussion here! Thanks for the love and encouragement, everyone.

Anonymous said...

I think blogging is an art form -- a place to play and find oneself. A place to find playmates.

I've been to several workshops, and they were all interesting in one way or another -- but I've learned to write by writing, and reading.

Do check out Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones, if you haven't already.

Off to look at Blueberry.

Anonymous said...

Wow. You quote Jane Siberry on your sidebar! A compatible soul...