October 10, 2018
Does writing in your head count? Do
poems that, as I lay down to rest, come to me by inspiration from what I might
be reading or what sends me to drift off to sleep, qualify? Do times of
meditative grace where words and thoughts inspired in a resting state as one
looks dreamily out a window or off into space that isn’t space—a staple poet’s
image for centuries. I like to believe that these all qualify for a writing
day, but I’m inclined to say No. Alas, the writing day involves writing and
trying to put together sentences and record some semblance of prose, verse,
words. Most importantly, revise and revisit.
My usual writing day, which isn’t every
single day, though it happens more than twice a week, whether I’m journaling,
writing down an inspiration, revising something or starting a poem off the
cuff—the major aspect of my writing day has to do with revising and revisiting
my work in a tiresome, never-ending, exasperating way.
My writing days are not exciting. They
are my days, where a tiny, intimate and specific peaks of movement in word and
thought reverberate with excitement as I touch upon a new phrase or a feeling
of unique patterns of words put together by a sub-conscious to conscious self. I often find I obsess over detail. Periods,
commas, enjambments. Ultimately revising is the most rewarding and the most
difficult as I sift through details; music starts as my words flow out and
those moments are exciting. I take at 5-minute
breaks every 30 minutes here and after 2 hours a stretch of 15-20 where I grab
a snack or need to go outdoors for some air if the weather permits.
Coffee or Tea is always involved,
sometimes a glass of wine in the evening and I’m feeling particularly
celebratory over my work. Eventually, I start to sift through books if I’ve got
long enough to write. A five-hour writing day is the best for me. Though, I
rarely have those these days right now with teaching so, I settle for maximum 2
hours on weekend days. I find it’s difficult to go into The Zone as I call it. It’s a space of no-time and being with
myself in that requires an effort to move toward and needs it’s pre-writing. If
it’s a new poem, I often time myself by 1-2 hour stretches. That time-point for
me is a good one. 30 minutes to settle and move into the Zone, which allows me
to forget somewhat about time as I delve into it for 1 hour fully in with
limits set on interruptions by social media or other daily ‘life’ stuff.
Sometimes I’ll jump into something if
the mood is high and I’m feeling particularly free of responsibilities. It’s
more rare and often I am in the park or away from home when this happens.
I find writing days in many ways to
consist of many things other than just typing or penciling words on paper. It
involves reading, thinking, analyzing, making choices, feeling emotional, at
times overwhelmed and relieved. Having conversations with the pages that
ultimately are conversations with self and/or ‘I’.
Sonia Di Placido is currently completing an MFA in Creative Writing at UBC. She is a
member of The League of Canadian Poets, The Writer’s Union of Canada, Canadian
Women in The Literary Arts and The Association of Italian-Canadian Writers. An
Associate Editor of Juniper Poetry Magazine, she has had poems published by
Carousel, The Puritan, The White Wall
Review, Jacket2, Canthius, The California Journal of Women Writers, and Juniper Poetry Magazine. In September 2016, she was invited to be part of The China Writers'
Association International Writer’s Residency for the cities of Tianjin, Binhai
and Beijing. Sonia teaches English for Academic Purposes at George Brown
College. Her first book Exaltation in Cadmium
Red was published with Guernica Editions in 2012. Flesh is her second full-length book
of poetry. For more information and works: diplacido.wordpress.com
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