Writer Natalie Goldberg built a cottage industry out of proselytizing free writing, and the only useful thing I got from high school was an English teacher drilling the habit into me (I thanked her on the acknowledgement page of my book). I taught English and chess in a summer camp this month — if any of those kids ever take writing seriously, I hope it dawns on them someday how useful the free writing exercise is.

It’s sometimes a very difficult thing for people to do — our shields have to come down, and sometimes we start crying in the midst of it — but that’s the whole point. Free writing subdues that inner critic who tells us that our writing is disorganized and poorly punctuated, while bringing our real voices to the surface.

I believe it’s the best practice any writer can adopt, and I think if we extend one of your analogies, you’ll dig it. The old advice about dancing is to “dance like nobody’s watching”. Free writing practice is exactly that — letting that dancer go with complete abandon, without regard to rules on the paper, rules of grammar or syntax or usage.

Wish you were here so I could see those tan lins

GOTTA go

Tiffy

so I’ve told you this already - but since we’re going all publicly with our dinky daus (lol) - I’m really sorry, too. You know me well enough by now to know that when presented with a solution or outcome that I do not like - I immediately fight back as though I’ve already lost. I was a kid pitching a fit in the corner for a good deal of our … thingee - and I could have handled it a bit less sensitively/defensively. I’m glad that you have given ME the opportunity to make things right with you, too - you deserve a whole lotta lovin’ Tiffy - I’m glad to be able to be one of the people you desire love from. You know what I’m tryin to say …

Thanks for the accolades on the post, by the way. I’m feeling a bit funny at the current moment about my writing and wish that I had your ear to bounce it off of. I know I should probably vocalize some of these thoughts to you when you are around - but you know my nature is to wait until the milk is gone before I start craving a nice big bowl of cereal. I was going for a different analogy than “well runs dry”. It didn’t quite work did it? Yeah - I wasn’t feeling it either. Back to the drawing board/writing pad.

Hurry back.

CeCe

I won a prezzie??? Me?! ::monster grin:: OH! OH! Can I have it

charged with insults and flattery
her body moves with malice

all naked under a sheet as you approach me on that big comfy chair of yours? (there’s an obscure song reference in there for ya - no googling!).

To those out there who witnessed my big melt down. I went dinky dau. To CeCe (who already knows this but deserves a public apology) I’m sorry, I handled it, well what’s worse than poorly? I handled it in about the worse way I could have. Thank you for the opportunity to make right and the time to work through this and we’re still working through it folks. ’nuff said publicly from my point of view.

Anyway I plan on making comments here and there, don’t you just LOVE her writing? So heads up