This morning I'm sitting on a chaise lounge in the family room. The back yard is bathed in yellow-hued light. The sky is coming in crisp and blue with the barest wisp of white cirrus cloud. The boys--husband, son and uncle--are still asleep. I hear the hum of the refrigerator and warm clicks from the coffee pot. What to write today?
I log in to Blogger and take a peek in the blog's back door. Thirty-one drafts? Wow.
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| View in the blog's back door: 407 published posts and 31 drafts |
It's the shadow side of some of my strengths shining here. Singapore American School uses Gallup's Strength Finders tools with faculty. It's an interesting assessment. Administrators and leaders use the strengths to frame conversations and to guide team creation too. My top five strengths are summed up in the image below-- though these are a few of my strengths, they also have a shadow side. One being that I like to chase rabbits. I like to think and explore and learn and draft (writing or art) and sometimes I can get caught up in the creating and exploring and so concerned about the finishing.
Thirty-one drafts spanning 2008 to last week doesn't seem like too much left undone.
It's been a long time since I've asked kids to talk about or write about their own writing processes. Looking back at drafts and looking forward toward new ideas always energizes me to learn more.
Folks are starting to wake up at my house now. The sound of the shower is a sure sign. I swapped the laundry from last night and the comforting click and whir of clothes in the dryer plays counter point to the coffee pot. I love writing in the morning and remembering and thinking in the still quiet of a sleeping house.
Love the your words st play in the early morning. A process usually swept under the rug. Great routine!
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to think about what drafts represent? Are they always unfinished? I have a few different writing spaces on which the number of drafts remains fairly high. On one occasion, I looked at a draft that had 1300 words or more and I wondered what it was missing or what kept me from publishing it. In reviewing it I found it was really pretty complete. I tweaked a sentence or two and decided to publish it. Turned out to be one of my most widely read posts. So I think sometimes we recognize when a post is finished but it's not the right time for it to be released. And drafts are a wonderful repository of ideas, an archive of thinking. As you point out your blog is 10 years old and over 400 published posts strong. And your have several drafts in reserve. Cool beans.
ReplyDeleteI think my favorite line is "The pre-dawn darkness softens every surface." It's so lyrical and so true. I felt the calm of a new day just as it comes to be. And I am amazed by your blogging tenacity!
ReplyDeleteI have like 6 drafts, and I thought that was a lot! It's funny how some of them just sit there for years... even though sometimes I have days when I have "nothing to write about"! I enjoyed this glimpse into your process!
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