Thoughts on Writers About Writing

It's a dark, windy and cloudy night in Minneapolis. Its dark because its after 9:30pm. Its windy and cloudy because, at least, finally, we have some warm air.

I wouldn't be here doing this if I did not have some inclination to write. That inclination, like probably, your own, inclines me as well to read. When it comes to the subject of my reading, relative to writing, I'm particularly interested in the genre of the personal essays. Not diaries; for crying out loud, anyway, hey, I'm a guy. We journal. And I do journal, and personal essays are pretty close to the matter of journalling. But often my reading goes off into essays in general. Three places I like to read essays from include The American Scholar, The Atlantic, and volumes from the public library. The Best American Essays I find satisfying. But, oh, that paths you can travel.

Recently I became aware of the essayist Edward Hoagland. So I trudged off to the library -I actually drove because we're in Minnesota and the weather was not yet seasonable for biking- and I picked up three volumes of his writing and editing. Now Hoagland is -I've learned- a highly regarded essayist, and he writes mostly about matter or events pertaining to nature. Somehow or another he always is able to figure-in elements of nature. But he often also grouses about being called a "nature writer", and then he goes on about the "business", the "work" of writing. And, yes, it is work.

But in this recent set of reading, I became aware of two things: much of my focus in reading in recent years, I now realize, has been less on the subject matter at hand, and more on the skill, craft and technique of the writer; the other thing I came to notice while reading Hoagland -and others in BAE- is that they write an awful lot about, writing. Sometimes its just insinuated into the piece, off-handedly, and sometime it occupies great space and, always, much passion.

Now I might have just let those observations go except for the matter of sychronicity presenting itself again in my life. I almost always see sychronious events as instances of "a small world". In this instance I had gone to read Fresca's blog wherein on about the same day, she too was writing the very same observation. For me that was just the validation I need to know that I wasn't just making things up.

Then on top of that instance, two occurred today. A certain reader-writer-blogger had posted her concern about the obligations to relationship that accrue to those of us who agree to review and comment on one another. The issue she was addressing is an element of "writing" upon which writers make comment much in the vein that Fresca had blogged and I had read. In this case its an element that, indeed, is work.

The other instance occurred during brunch today with yet another blogger of some note, and a former colleague. As we addressed life matters we were on about the aging process and how aging, literally, takes a toll on one's relationships. To which Domenica noted the side value of maintaining many mixed relationship such that will sustain, in a reciprocity, in years to come. In this group I did not say it, but it did occur to me that "virtual" relationships too are important and over time accrue both value and commitment.

All of that is, one the one hand, all lot of synchronicity, while on the other hand, its a lot of affirmation through relationships such that the world and life keep making sense, and presenting those of us who would do it, something additional to write about other than, writing.

A "Daily" Camaraderie

Elsewhere I have a blog, Write Everyday, where I try to exercise this portion of myself on a daily basis. Like many intentions, especially those that commit one to "everyday", I don't always get there; I don't always get that exercise in. Normally, this is just the sort of a write for which I'd use that blog. But today, I'm not. I'm not because of camaraderie.

For years, I've played racquetball with with a group of guys (evolutionarily, four different groups in my time), and from the beginning, we all trusted that, baring work, one another would "be there". When I go to the "Y" for my workout routine I engage with no one usually. But there are nods of acknowledgement, and, perhaps, short weather-related conversations. At church on Sunday, despite encouragement beyond, I am satisfied with nods of acknowledgement. There is an expectation -and a satisfaction in acknowledgement- that goes with camaraderie.

I've recently had conversation with a fellow, a peer, who spends very little time on the Internet except to receive emails and forward jokes. He had a hard time grasping why people would want to spend their time in "virtual" connection. He is, himself, a very gregarious person. At the time the only explanation I had at hand -and he was courteous enough to accept- was that it is suitable to those of us who tend to be introverts. But since then it has occurred to me that wherever one gets engaged with others, a camaraderie develops, and with it, the concomitant expectations, obligations and satisfactions in the assurances of routine connections.

Over the past couple of years I have been preoccupied with other aspects of my life, and only recently have I re-entered the sphere of writing, such as I do. I have found changes in both myself and in the "places" I write, wrote. When I had first thought I might do personal essaying in blog format, I had landed on Gather as the place where I would write. It was at that time promoted -and was- a place where one could submit writing and expect to have it reviewed. There was the concomitant expectation the you would also read and comment on the work of others. Upon return to Gather, it was clearly become a place of virtual social networking akin to Facebook. In fairness, I should say that I have not returned yet to the "Writing" group where, perhaps, that is still going on. Perhaps the social networking is just an additional aspect of Gather now, whereas originally it seemed to be a side aspect without the prominence that has now.

I had said that I had also found changes within myself. I have determined that I can and will do my essaying in blog format, and that I will chance the virtual social network. And I will try to review and comment on the work of others as I find it. That's a commitment to social interaction, virtual though it may be. And so it is here, where I blog, where others blog; where "even" virtual relationships are made, "even" here where camaraderie develops, that I will post my letters.