What would Freud Do?
I have a fantasy poetry shift. It lasts at least an hour every day. I imagine that I have to stop, take pen and notebook in hand, and see if I can make something out of nothing. I do it lying on the couch, like a therapy session, because, for me, writing poetry is a form of self-analysis where I get to be both doctor and patient.
It’s a fantasy, though, because I don’t do it everyday. I have to get bored enough or uncomfortable enough to remember that writing a poem is like taking a medication, like a prescription of Ritalin that gathers my focus or a vacation that takes me outside of myself. Too little or too much can each be a problem, but the right dose is always therapeutic.
Once I get on the couch, I don’t hold back. It’s only worth it if I do the work. And it only works if I hit a nerve. I might watch the clock, but I won’t get up until the job is done.
___________See Hourly Work below or HERE. The couch is from Black Water Loft coffee house.
May 22nd, 2013 9:24 am
Writing definitely qualifies as an abstract form of therapy in my book.
May 22nd, 2013 10:08 am
M.J., I visited your blog and wanted to comment but I wasn’t able to without filling out some kind of google thing to personalize ads for me. Sorry.
May 22nd, 2013 11:17 am
Sounds like a good writing discipline to me
May 22nd, 2013 3:27 pm
good plan. “doing pages” gets the junk cleared from the pipe and pushing to write when there’s “nothing” is good exercise.
May 22nd, 2013 4:04 pm
I LOVE that you think of it like taking ones medication like Ritalin….lol! And I also love that once you are on the couch—It Is Full Speed Ahead!! I think all creativity is GREAT Therapy!
January 5th, 2014 8:42 pm
[…] May: I have a fantasy poetry shift. It lasts at least an hour every day. I imagine that I have to stop, take pen and notebook in hand, and see if I can make something out of nothing. I do it lying on the couch, like a therapy session, because, for me, writing poetry is a form of self-analysis where I get to be both doctor and patient. […]