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Last week was busy with travel, a Tom Waits concert (awesome), and a family wedding (fun), and this week is catch-up. In the meantime, the Clarion West Write-a-thon has wrapped up, and thanks to those of you who sponsored me (it’s not too late if anyone wants to throw cash into the kitty).

Alas, I have to report a huge fail in my goal. There is no screenplay except for where it resides in my head. There are notes, and research, but it is not the time for this script to be written. I hate starting something if I don’t think I can end it, and eventually I had to toss in the towel and accept that now is not the time for this project.

I was writing, however. Poetry. At last count I wrote about thirty pieces during the Write-a-thon (as well as two short story revisions). My inner pragmatist protested at what she thought to be a disgraceful waste of effort with no discernable benefit, but I stuck put her on mute and succumbed to the impulse.

I found a tremendous joy in writing those poems. I learned a lot from the microscopic focus upon every single word, and how each one impacts upon the other. In my mind each poem is like a puzzle. There nothing more satisfying than hearing the deep click that happens when every single word tumbles into the correct place, and the shape resolves.

Now, I seem to be in the act of committing a novel. I’m mixing things up with this one, and writing it longhand. Generally, I write directly onto the screen. I use longhand when I need to doodle notes, and brainstorm ideas.

Yet, I wrote lot of the recent poems in longhand first, to get them going, and polished them off on the computer. So, I’m writing this story in longhand, but I’m not typing it up yet. I’m finding it easier to get the basics out in longhand without the desire to edit it immediately, which is an artefact of the computer age, I think. When you’re sitting in front of a computer it’s easier to sit and twiddle with past paragraphs and scenes rather than making progress.

Since I want to keep going with this I’m sticking with pen and paper. Whatever works. Perhaps once I’m far enough along I’ll be able to go back to writing directly onto the screen, but for now I’ll stick with ink and page and see where it gets me.