The Artist's Way

Boice’s methodology does seem a bit prescribed. It reminded me of this new-agey book a friend of mine gave me called The Artist’s Way, which regiments a habit of "morning pages," among other rather conventional exercises like "Draw a picture of someone who discouraged you in the past as a monster." Here’s a link if anyone is curious: http://www.amazon.com/The-Artists-Way-Julia-Cameron/dp/1585421472/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346291547&sr=8-1&keywords=the+artist+way). 

Still, I appreciate the article’s sentiment. It’s easy for outsiders to view writers as antisocial tortured recluses, fevered and obsessed when they’re prolific, miserable and bitter when they’re not. It’s further alienating when a common perception is that writing is not “real” work, and that you can only be a prolific writer amidst the coming and going of some mysterious muse. This might be a view that some of our students have about writers: “good writing” is inaccessible because the culture of writers seems inaccessible. Tell them they’re all writers, and you might as well be telling them they’re all pipe-smoking English professors.

As writers at the graduate level, we’ve probably learned by now that it’s beneficial for us to “commiserate” among one another, sharing our “private fears and frustrations” (5) in regard to our writing processes. We may know that many of us face the same problems, and that the process for each of us is very involved and very distinctly different. However, encouraging these kinds of discussions among students—who may be new to or off-put by a college level English course—is important, and it really should be pivotal in any composition class. Students need to know that writing is a dialogue, not a competition. This is why I make sure to have students discuss their work aloud at each stage in the paper-writing process. I’ve gotten good feedback for this element of my classes; students say it’s encouraging “hearing what everyone else is doing.” How did their peers select and narrow down their topics? How did they do their research and organize their drafts? Solidarity in the classroom also cuts down on the likelihood of procrastination. The procrastinator is less “endearing” (12), as Boice described, when he or she is unable to contribute to a class discussion about process.

On a more personal note, like Kavita said, I saw elements of myself in Boice’s “Categories of Explanations for Failings” (7). I too have been unable to fall asleep after binging; I let my face tense up while working; my extremities will fall asleep; it’s hard to pull away once I perceive I’m “on a roll.” In response to the article, I automatically started doing “comfort checks” while reading—ten minutes, stand up and stretch, un-tense tongue. I don’t know if it made the process “pleasant,” but it did keep my back muscles from aching. From now on, I'll try to be more aware of my body while writing.