#Reverb10 catch-up: Word & Writing

So, after watching the Brene Brown video this past week, I decided that I needed to do a bit more internal work.  As if I don’t have enough to do, eh?  And I’ve been surprised at how much I’ve enjoyed reading people’s #reverb10 posts – they’ve been great questions that offer lots of room for reflection – so I decided to have a go. 

If I’m able to catch up and then post every day as the creators intended, great.  If I need to work on it over the week and post them on the weekend, then I’ll do that.  For now, I'll post 2 days at a time to catch-up and then go from there.  And no pressure for me here – if the day’s question isn’t worth my time and energy, I won’t do it.  But I suspect that they will be, for the most part.

So, without further ado….allow me to play a bit of catch-up…


December 1 – One Word. Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?

Of all the questions asked so far, this one is the hardest and requires the most thought.  What a way to start!  One word?  Seriously? 

Ok.  *deep breath*  What word would I use to describe 2010?  I think I’ll go with……

Photo by Black Box on Flickr

Cultivation.

Until August, seeds that have been planted for a while laid (lay?  I can never remember) dormant.  Conditions weren’t right.  Ground was still frozen, too hard, too dry, __insert appropriate farming metaphor here__. 

But since August, conditions have changed.  I’ve felt this before but it has come in a different form: It’s time to grow.  A lot of work and preparation has gone into this.  It’s time to start sprouting, weeding, pruning, fertilizing - putting the effort into myself, strengthening, and getting ready for what will come next.

What will be my word for 2011?  To continue with the farming theme, I hope it’ll be

Harvest.

Next year has a lot in store, inshallah.  Significant weight loss, completion of my Ph.D dissertation, job search, relocation (probably), and who knows what else.  I hope by this time next year, I’ll be reaping some of the rewards – harvesting, if you will – at least some of the work I’ve put in this year (and years before).

Photo by churl on Flickr

December 2 – Writing. What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it?

If I take this question literally (since productivity in writing is a real issue for me), I’d have to say the internet is what doesn’t contribute to my writing.  I still really struggle with the time drain caused by spending way too much time on the internet.

How can I eliminate it?  Well, the most obvious thing is to not go on the internet or limit my time.  I’ve tried that in a variety of ways and it doesn’t really work.  I am most productive where the internet is not even a temptation.  So I go to the library in town where wifi is not available (thank God for lo-tech places!) and I’m able to get work done.

And I find it ironic – what am I doing now?  Surfing the internet, writing a blog entry on how I can’t write because of the internet.  Ha!

Another thing that doesn’t contribute to my writing is my lack of clear focus.  During the times when I know exactly what I want to write and say, where I want to go, and how I want to get there, writing is no problem.  I can hammer it out and all is well.  But when it comes to things that I’m not sure about, I don’t feel as if I have grasped the full picture, have less confidence in, or generally couldn’t care less about, it is as if I am enduring breech labor.  My methodology/hermeneutics chapter of my research has this effect on me.  I know enough to know how much I don’t know and, I’ll admit it, it intimidates me.  Because I don’t feel like I know everything about my particular subject, I get paralyzed.  Must really work on that!