Writing: A Gift to Ourselves  Posted
Jun-2-2005
Adapted from Inner Diablog,
July 7, 2004
--snip--
In recent weeks I've been doing a lot of reading. Books,
articles, the Yellow Pages. Yes, just about anything
I can get my hands on. I've always been like that. I'm intrigued
by the backs of cereal boxes, the TV Guide, and the
shampoo bottle while I rinse and repeat. Oh, and I'm one
of those geeky dictionary readers too. I'd rather have a library
card than a credit card.
Can a person read too much?
I've also been developing a great urge towards writing more.
Not just my weekly *practice* reflective writing through Inner
Diablog, but for something much more significant and substantial.
I began Inner Diablog: A Creative Journey almost
a year ago. The initial purpose was to give me a meaningful
place to practice writing, drawing upon my life experiences
and sense of gratitude. Most of the pieces have been quite
trivial, however, a few have found their way onto other Web
sites and in published 'zines because of their 'powerful effect'
on others (or so I'm told). And in all honesty, some of the
pieces have just been downright therapeutic for me to compose to
myself.
Today I thought about what I was going to do with my writing.
I frequently say that I want to write a book. But about what?
I'm convinced we all have a book or three inside of us. And
think about it; a book is really not all that monumental if
you break it down to this:
A book is an expression or manifestation of our
knowledge, expertise, experiences, desires, imagination,
and/or our creativity.
Packaging those things into an informative and interesting
product that other people will benefit from is the key then,
right?
Hmmm. *weighs this out for a moment*
In all cases, should we set out to write a book just for others?
Or can we approach it as personal work of 'art' for ourselves?
Side point: A journal is a book, isn't it? Some journals like
the Diary of Anne Frank and Go Ask Alice*
were published into mainstream books. And don't forget about
Frida Kahlo. ...
* I know that this book was not really a diary, but you
get the idea.
--snip--
I was in Borders bookstore not too long ago looking for Tori
Amos's new book Piece by Piece. On a nearby shelf
I saw what resembled a tattered notebook with doodles on the
cover. It reminded me of the notebooks I carried around in
junior high school — the cover drawings resulting from
in-class boredom. Anyway, upon close inspection I realized
the tattered notebook was really a published book produced
from the notebook journals of the late Kurt Cobain (Nirvana).
For a moment or two I reflected on what I was seeing. I picked
up the book and flipped through the pages. It appeared that
the book was a ditto of the real thing. In a chilling instant
I
wondered, "Would
Kurt have kept these private journals around if he knew they
would be mass produced someday for the entertainment of others?"
Would
any of us? (© 2005 Chris Dunmire) • |
