Recently, when I should have been writing, I did some cleaning instead. (Oh, you know this tired tale, don't you, Other Writers? I know you do.)
In this episode of "Writers Love to Procrastinate and Claim it's a Valid Step in the Process," I ditched mops, feather dusters, and closet organization for some intense digital clean-up. I tidied my blog and my website.
(They needed it. Really. This wasn't entirely procrastination. Ahem.) I created a new banner, spiffed up the sidebar info, changed my profile picture. (If I look particularly happy in the new one, it's because I was seeing Wicked with one of my daughters—again—on this past 4th of July. We had a fabulous day. And what an apt day it was for Wicked, that tale of injustice, discrimination, the power of friendship, and the necessity of fighting an oppressive, authoritarian regime. Happy 4th! But I digress.) I started thinking about Billy Collins's poem, "Advice to Writers." I always laugh at, "Clean the place as if the Pope were on his way./Spotlessness is the niece of inspiration."
Would that it were so, O Poetry Gods!
Advice to Writers
wash down the walls and scrub the floor
of your study before composing a syllable.
Clean the place as if the Pope were on his way.
Spotlessness is the niece of inspiration.
The more you clean, the more brilliant
your writing will be, so do not hesitate to take
to the open fields to scour the undersides
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Poetry Friday round-up is being hosted by the lovely Linda Baie at TeacherDance.
Photo courtesy of Michal Jarmoluk at Pixabay.
17 comments:
Oh, yes! I know this feeling well, Karen! I was working on a poem called "Potluck for Procrastinators" but since nobody got around to making anything, there was nothing to write about:).
Ha! There will always be something that needs to be done instead of the writing! I try to prioritize my MIP (most important project) as the first writing I do every day, before tending to all the Other Things...otherwise I'd never get to it! xo
This is new to me, & I will print it out for a smile as I move around my home, dusting, Karen! Thanks for reminding us of one of our habits, long ingrained!
Mona, I love the title of that poem! :D You made me laugh. When you finish with the dusting, be sure to finish the poem and share it with us. 😉.
Absolutely, Irene! We've all been there. The only way out of writing is through it. 😁❤️
Linda, enjoy it as you procrastinate. 😉😘
Me? Procrastinate? Why do you think my house is full of unnecessary objects purchased online? (I'd rather shop than clean.) Thanks for sharing Collins's poem -- needed to smile on this solemn day. Does the Pope visit you often? :D
Karen, what a fabulous poem 😁… I really like the new header, digital updates and tidying are so pleasing — like dusting bookshelves😊
I know that feeling well, Karen. I can always find something else to do when I sit down to write. Your tidying was very effective!
I have a chaos of books on my writing table. I do believe dealing with that will help me, so that’s first on my list. And fall weather always helps to get me writing. I loved reading about the environments writers seek. Thanks Karen!
Ooo, I need to do some serious blog cleaning. I love what you’ve done with the place! Lovely header. Billy Collins is always good for a chuckle.
I remain a devoted fan of Billy Collins as my bookshelves reveal, so I thank you for shining a light on a Collins'classic. Tidying up and clearing out are constant bugbears for we who pursue the literary life. Clearing the mind of extraneous clutter is essential to enable the necessary focus. I do love the way the poem ends. Thanks for this gem of a poem, Karen.
* Jama, ah, the "shop vs. clean" approach — so many flavors! :D And would you believe that the pope has never once visited here? I did once have a dream that he was coming to dinner here and I got to work cleaning, so I guess you could say I have dreamed about this poem. :D
* elli, thanks so much! I was pleased with the final result too! I'd love to do a full overhaul, but I don't know if that's going to happen.)
* Thank you, Rose! I'd love to do a deeper clean on the blog (dead links on old posts, all kinds of details like that) but who knows when that kind of time will present itself? :)
* Janice, sometimes just clearing one pile away does the trick. Been there! And I too enjoyed the other links Popova offered about other writers and their advice and observations.
* Margaret, thanks! I love John Singer Sargent, but hadn't seen this watercolor before I stumbled upon it recently. Now I'm obsessed with it. :)
* Alan, you raise an important point about the poem and an aspect of it that I didn't discuss. I've found (at least for me) that there are two types of procrastination: one is pure-and-actual procrastination ... I clean the closet because I don't want to face the writing, or I convince myself that the housework is genuinely more important than the writing work. The second kind is what you're talking about, and where the poem eventually arrives...the mind-clearing (accomplished through a concrete task, completed/satisfying/checked-off-the-list) is necessary to settle down the onslaught of thoughts and distractions and open our thinking to new pathways.
LoL! The truth of this makes me giggle. I must be a really brilliant writer by this logic. I do love the new header...paintings of reading make me happy. What a great contribution to PF this week!
GUILTY! As recently as yesterday!!
Love your new header. And thanks, as always, for perfectly timed Billy Collins poems!
Karen, Wow! You hit the nail on the head with this post! We all procrastinate. I was just doing it yesterday too, as I decided to gather things for good will instead of fixing my MS word download or writing. Sometimes, I have to say that while doing chores, or showering, or trying to sleep, I write poems in my head - it's just the procrastination of getting the words on paper/screen! Thanks for the laughs! Your blog looks great, too.
* Linda, I will claim that brilliant label along with you. ;) And I love paintings of readers too!
* Mary Lee, my pleasure! It's a big, happy club, isn't it? :D
* Carol, yes, Alan pointed out the same thing and I agree — the things that happen mentally during the busy-ness of procrastination can lead to good things. Or, I need to clear the decks before I can face a blank page. And then sometimes, for me, it's just plain old procrastination. :)
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