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Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Words at play

 Looking back through my journals and notes it seems like I started to write these words about the way life flows when at the cottage back in 2019...

I did nothing with them, but by 2021 had thought I might add another verb into the mix.


Whilst we were away I had another think upon the words and started to draft some ideas. Here I was working with 5 sentences. 


But this is what I found in my phone and added to last month. I had found 6 in another journal somewhere and written that into my phone, but forgotten I had. So clearly my record keeping needs tidying up.

By adding the dates I tried to firm up the chronology.



This morning I sat and went through them again. I realised I have created six short sentences, and wondered to myself if they wouldn't be better as seven? Seven is a much nicer number.

Rather than revert to five, I went for seven and this is what my book looks like this afternoon after a bit of a play.



And then I tried to be ordered about things and wrote three columns - two verbs and one adverb - and wrote the different words in the columns thinking I could play with this and that - join them up this way, try them that way...

Half way through I then thought to analyse what I had written thus far - hence the bits about syllables. I figured the rhythm should be pretty much the same across the seven sentences.


Clearly nothing is resolved, but the idea of seven works. My understanding of how they are written is better. The direction is underway and soon I shall have my seventh.

Then of course to work out how to present them - but that will emerge. Given it has taken 5 years for the idea to get to this stage, I really hope this is the time to complete it.

I have written notes to myself to stop directing the work, and let it emerge. I had drafted outlines of the book, and the size, and the placement of imagery, and the where the words would go on each page and what typeface I might use, and I just said to myself STOP. 

I hope to now do some playful experimentation and see where the words and possibly the imagery from the previous post take me. Let the words and the work lead me, so often better things emerge that way...

7 comments:

  1. I love everything about this, the slow process, circling back to it time and time again, each addition enhancing what was there before. I love word lists, pulling from them, editing, looking for commonalities but the idea of taking that further with pairings etc. hadn't occurred to me.

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    1. Oh my goodness, the circling back time and agin! It's so funny how some work flows straight out; others you continue to nudge, circle, refresh and hopefully land somewhere decent! I love the dictionary & thesaurus app on my phone - I happily spend ages coming up with word lists for things, anywhere, anytime!

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    2. Ooh - I never thought of an App on my phone for a dictionary... I'm always curled up with massive home volume but think I need to look at some dictionary/thesaurus Apps. I still remember learning what a thesaurus was in school - the teacher couldn't get it away from me!

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  2. It will be interesting to see where this takes you. I especially like "rest and shine quietly."

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    1. Thanks Stephanie, some of the adverbs are unusual in their placement alongside the verb, but shining quietly came to me when I was thinking about my artwork on show in Scotland...

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  3. on this tragically sad post-election day in the USA I think this ...

    consider and act peacefully

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    1. Thanks Liz - there is still so much we need to do, but this is a great start. Consider (and be considerate) and act peacefully, please...

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I appreciate your thoughts and comments; thanks for taking the time.