I just took a look at my dashboard and realized that I have 190 posts here, dating back to 2006. I don’t know if that’s a lot or a little, or if the quantity itself has any relevance, but what’s interesting is that each time I sit down to write, I expect that newest article to carry 95% of the weight of a first impression.
Give or take _%.
Usually the writing is something that takes place in the moment. It just happens. Not necessarily about being inspired, or having been struck with some particular notion (although that does happen). Mainly about deciding that it’s better to write today than to not write today, and let the words form into ideas as they will.
I forget a lot of what I’ve written a few months ago, let alone what I wrote a few years ago. In moments such as these (i.e. as I write this post), I’m groping for an idea, for something to flow on, for a train to hitch… and so instead of writing about something in particular, I become self-reflexive and write about writing.. even writing about my writing about my writing as I am now…
How many other creation forms can be so self-descriptive? Can you play piano about playing piano? You can paint about painting. Can you cook about cooking? Can you make fashion that’s about fashion?
Sure, in every medium there are the products of self-commentary, and these are often lost on general audiences. Adaptation (Nicholas Cage’s last respectable movie) was about a screenwriter writing a movie as the movie itself happened… somewhat. That one worked well. I’ve seen a bunch other films about the filmmaking process that very gropey, and likely lost on audiences who themselves aren’t interested in their own personal creative processes.
Funny thing about these films… they always have an actual climax, a conclusion, a resolution. Even when the entire film is about not knowing what to do, the creative process figures out how to put a closing on the (non)narrative. Because all narratives must stop, all must have a period, or question mark, or exclamation point (if you’re lucky).
How about ending a narrative with a + sign… or an equal sign.. how about ending on a #? (Wait is that a pound or a question mark?) We make decisions all the time using # signs (after choosing the appropriate extension number). Or we could leave it off with that sign with the weird name and the big ol’ butt.
Yeah, I’ll do that here: &
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