Writing for one
The question, of why I share my thoughts, is a question for me solely because I don’t expect or encourage or need anyone to read these (mostly) daily thoughts. I write them because I enjoy the experience of writing, and in particular, writing in flow, where I just write down my thoughts without allowing my inner critic/editor to get involved. I find academic writing a hard slog where every sentence needs to examined rationally from a scientific perspective and this is completely and refreshingly different.
It’s good for me
Writing random thoughts and ideas is good for me because I enjoy it at so many levels. For instance, it’s quick, unlike writing an article, and so I get the constant feedback of achievement every morning and even though other work won’t be completed, I have this experience that sets me up for the day. Whatever else I may fail to do, I’ve done this.
It feels creative
It doesn’t matter if it makes sense, or what other people think if they choose to have a read (you’re welcome), it’s the clattering of my fingers across the keyboard and watching the words come up on the screen that I enjoy. That’s the creative bit, not necessarily the content although sometimes that will be an element too.
It’s nostalgic
One great piece of advice I got from my Father many years ago, was to learn to touch-type (he was a writer in the Royal Navy – he probably wouldn’t have seen action if there had been a War during his service time but he could have written about, and very quickly!). For once, (maybe the only time?) I took his advice and consequently I can type without looking at the keyboard (something Iain finds spooky when I continue to finish a sentence whilst looking at him). I spent some time in the typing pool in my first job and increased my skill that has been so useful over the years
Joy of all joys!!!
Darling Iain has just (this minute) added a bit of software to our computer so that now the keys make exactly the same sound as an old fashioned typewriter, along with ‘ting’ and carriage return noise. Now, this is really nostalgic, and as I write in my free-flow style I can hear the clatter of the keys as they virtually hit the virtual piece of paper. I am flying through these words and it sounds like a firework display – Yeah! Iain you will probably never know how much joy I’ve got from this simple thing (maybe only traditional typists would understand?) . I LOVE this (I wish you could hear it and I sound SOOO busy, for which I get a great boost of Serotonin, one of the happy chemicals.
Which reminds me
Isn’t it funny how we embrace modern technology and then ask it to disguise itself as something traditional or go back to the original. For instance, mobile phones that have the traditional ring tone, vinyl records now more popular than CDs, heating appliances that look like coal fires, laptop covers that look like old books, and decorating trends for ‘shabby chic’ to look like the ‘make do and mend’ furniture and furnishings that post-war families had to put up with!
Back to the subject
Therapeutic
So, other reasons to share my thoughts with myself in print. There is a lot of research on the therapeutic benefit of putting things down on paper James Pennebaker for instance. Although most of my musings have so far been whimsical and light hearted I know I will write about other more difficult things whenever they come up – I am an ‘open book’.
Encouraging creativity
The wonderful work of Julie Cameron, author of the Writer’s Way suggests writing ‘morning pages’, three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing. ‘There is no wrong way to do these morning pages and it doesn’t matter what you write, the idea is to train you into the habit and get creativity flowing. I’m not sure if it was her who suggested that writers should ‘write for the bin’? It was good advice especially when I wrote my first (only!) book although perhaps I should have written it for the bin and then thrown it in the bin? (but that’s my inner critic talking – and I have just amended that dialogue!). She might not recommend my method but I expect she would approve it for me, based on my experience.
Intrinsic
It’s lovely to do a task that is intrinsically motivating, something that is done for pleasure rather than extrinsically motiving, done in return for a reward, like work. This is especially relevant for me as I often write in return for a payment and when I have to do it, and don’t particularly want to.
Because I can!
Please note: I am an early riser and frequently wake up with thoughts and questions on my mind. I write them down and record them in these short unedited, un-researched, unscientific bits of writing. They are written in a half asleep hypnopompic state and should not be regarded as anything more than what they are – random thoughts and musings.
