My world opened up for me when I met my tenth grade English teacher, Miss Marshall. She looked to be 100 years old at least with her stark white hair and her cane. She required each of her students to keep a daily journal and when we arrived to class her journal entry was written on the chalkboard. We didn’t begin class until each of us had written our journal entry.
Now it was 1965 when I was in tenth grade – long before the journal craze began. But it began for me then. I was able to request Miss Marshall for English the next two years. She became my mentor and encouraged me to write, not just in my journal, but to write my stories as well. I joined the school newspaper ‘staff’ and wrote for the school yearbook. My major in college was English and I’ve taken numerous creative writing classes. I’ve also had a couple of jobs that required me to write.
I used to write long drawn out letters to my best girlfriend. She moved to the west coast after school. We would write pages and pages back and forth on life, our loves, the state of the world – whatever we were interested in at the time. Pre-internet, it was actually necessary to write and mail letters. The phone companies didn’t offer unlimited long distance either. So I would prepare my favorite tea, grab my favorite pen and paper and away I’d go. I would write sometimes for hours depending on how much catching up I had to do. I was in love with descriptive words and the structure of sentences and the physical sense of holding the pen and writing in longhand.
And then along came computers and the internet. And brevity became key and not just to keep load times down. That was the day of dialup connections. But because reading from a screen was new. That whole side-to-side reading thing was difficult with pre-set adjusted widths and terrible graphics.
So instead of writing for the sheer joy of writing, I became the queen of one-paragraph updates. And at first it was fabulous. I could stay in touch with everyone – send one paragraph to all of my friends and family at one time. I could even add images. So I didn’t just stop writing, I stopped thinking ‘descriptively.’
And soon I stopped writing longhand altogether. Since I began my blog in 2007, I haven’t kept a written journal. And I can’t remember the last time I wrote a letter to someone. And the most frightening thing is I don’t read as many books either. I have replaced reading and writing with the computer. I don’t want to give up my blog or the computer. I truly enjoy the friendships I have made through blogging and some of these friends have become not just blogging pals, but folks I exchange emails with. And the computer is such a valuable tool bringing the world to my desktop. I’ve seen museum exhibits and artwork that I never would have seen without it and being a curious sort, the internet offers me hours of entertainment. I just need to learn to balance my time with it.
I know it’s now January 6 and I should be finished with all this resolution and new year stuff. But I have been wrestling with this for a while and the new year brings new opportunities for beginnings, so
This year, I will write
–longhand-
I will write just for my own pleasure
I will make time to enjoy words
I will marvel at their simplicity and
Their ability to transform
I will play again
With words
Yes.
I will use a pen and my favorite paper
I will write for the sheer joy of writing
long paragraphs
or perhaps I will write
just one word.
And marvel at its simplicity.
This year I will write.
Personally, I’m not big on ‘resolutions’–too many dropped stitches probably. Yet, I do love the ‘new beginnings’–workshops, classes, new projects, new year and so on. Just don’t want to spoil that with promises (even just to myself) that I might/probably won’t keep! My birthday is next week so the new year and my personal new year line up for a double whammy on ‘resolutions’.
I’ve stopped writing by hand also, even print out personal letters because my hand writing is not great. I’ve offered to address Ben’s wedding invitations so I hope I can pull that off without too shaky a hand!
I spend way too much time on the computer but like you I’ve made great friends through it and love keeping up on their goings on! But I still read a lot. Currently I am reading “Catherine the Great” and am surprised how much I look forward to the next opportunity to pick it up. I still remember “The Hare with Amber Eyes” as my favorite read of last year–though there are other contenders for that honor. I just got de Waal’s “The Pot Book”–it is wonderful, too, though very different. More eye candy than reading–thought the text is great.
Love your writings, don’t give up the blog!
Happy birthday to you! My husband’s birthday is January 19. I have always found it difficult to find a suitable birthday present after all the Christmas shopping. I do think of my new year starting on my birthday. Mine is the last day of May, so I have to check my progress every six months – not always a good thing lol. I think it would be much better to have the personal year and the calendar new year line up.
I read a blog post the other day that quoted an author saying he had difficulty writing with a keyboard. His ideas wouldn’t flow as easily as when he wrote longhand. I found that so interesting. I’ve been writing longhand in my journal for a couple of weeks now. I find it to be relaxing, balancing as well as energizing. My handwriting is also terrible – I hope Ben lets you address his invitations!
I am making a conscious effort to read more. I’ve never loved to watch television, so I’ve decided to read while my husband watches his shows. I usually take an afternoon tea break and I used to check-in on the computer. I am now reading my book instead.
I don’t think of these as resolutions but more as adjusting to what’s working in my life.
What day is your birthday? I will sing a song and toast a toast with my glass of wine that evening. Sure hope your day — and year is filled with lots of love and laughter.
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On Tuesday, the 10th, I’ll be celebrating 75 years! Wow, it amazes me! I’d love to know you are toasting me with a glass of wine that evening! I’ll be watching for it!
I will definitely raise my glass – 75 years around the sun calls for a big celebration! Best wishes to you my friend!
I smile at this. Because I am setting a goal to not write so much long hand but to get back to writing at the computer in one long “go” .
There is something wonderful, about sinking ink via hand into good paper. I wish you all the best in your resolutions. You are obviously feeling the desire to write and there is no other time better. If you ever doubt how quickly a journal can add up over time, think of Virginia Woolf and all the books of her biography journals. Its a wonderful gift to give the self, and those who come peeking aferwards.
Isn’t that funny that you want to use a keyboard more and I want to use a pen and some ink. The keyboard is certainly faster. I’m just feeling the need right now to slow down. I love reading Virginia Woolf and I’m a big fan of Anais Nin – yes those journals can fill quickly.
And best wishes to you as we start this new year -