Living Life Twice

This morning as I raked and removed another carpet of discarded leaves thrashed, bashed and scattered by last night’s torrent of rain, a poem began to form in my head. The writing mind seldom rests... It further reminded me that so many of our writing ideas come calling when we are not actually engaged in writing. So there I was raking and rehearsing... Wintery Days Shadows And gathering clouds Raindrop on footpaths Spits and dollops Splashing Forming puddles and pools A season of heavy coats Scarves and gloves Sheltering Helter- Skeltering Miserable breezes Unforgiving winds Sniffles and sneezes Ah choo! Alan j Wright

I have been mining old notebooks this week looking for examples of observational writing. It is related to a writing project I am currently undertaking. Sometimes as writers we just need to sit and look around us for inspiration. We don't have to create possibilities from scratch.They merely await discovery. We must hone our observational abilities. Rereading my notebook entries, I am surprised at how often I write in this way. This type of writing reminds me of photography and the painting of portraits. The writer must use words to build a picture in the mind of the reader. I want young writers to see for themselves that these seemingly ordinary moments, are gold for writers. I see it as an opportunity to shine a light on a moment that might otherwise pass by without recognition. Hopefully, it encourages the inexperienced writer, to be a more astute observer.  I enjoyed the rereading and the reliving of these experiences. Here are some of my small moments. Moment...

Mixed feelings swirl around me when commencing a new writer's notebook.  The prospect of filling the fresh pages brings with it anticipation, presenting as a prospect to be enthusiastically embraced.  To see newly generated words spread out across previously unmarked pages delivers a buzz. The very act of capturing the raw stuff of my writing life, delivers order and a sense of accomplishment to my active mind. The harvesting of words and ideas adds to the energy for writing in this new place. I am like the farmer ploughing a new field. I make a conscious decision to choose a notebook with different dimensions and qualities to its predecessor. Some writers choose the same notebook each time a replacement is required. I embrace the notion of change along with the unique shape and form of the potential replacement notebook. I remain keen to shape this new notebook in a way that establishes its difference from previous notebooks. The contents will add furt...