This week I made a list of possible words that begin with the letter F. Some have obvious connections to writing, such as form, function, and fiction. Others, such as flower and fountain left me puzzling over possible analogies. I considered fabric. It shows up in cliches such as "the fabric of life." Words like events weave their way through our stories.
Nothing felt right. I could not find a flow for the writing. As I fought the urge to crumple the paper and toss it in the vicinity of the recycling bin, I found myself thinking: "Forget it." Sometimes it takes admitting the failure of an idea and walking away before the words come. Sometimes it is helpful to forget in the middle of floundering.
I was reminded that it can be beneficial to forget the final form as you play with an idea. For me the observations and ideas come together much quicker if I relax and play with words than if I try to force them. Sometimes a poem communicates the thought in a better way than prose does. In this regard, I find writer's who work in multiple formats are fortunate. They have many tools to express themselves.
It is useful to forget past failures. Learn from them, then let them go. A story that continues to fall flat might benefit from sitting on the shelf for awhile, or even forever. Its sole purpose might have been a learning exercise. Not everything needs to be finished.
There are some things that should not be forgotten. The foundation of my faith keeps me grounded. It is more important than deadlines or stress. However, deadlines are another thing firmly in the must remember category. I forgot the day this post needed to go live because I wrote the day down wrong. Fortunately for me, I wrote the deadline earlier than the actual date. This let me keep my commitment in spite of a faulty memory.
Remember (don't forget) to pause and enjoy the moments you have been given. It is in those spaces the ideas build for me. The details of life can add depth to our writing. Even if they don't, they add depth to our days. The moments are gifts from God.
Excellent post, dear Lorilee. Thank you for these rich in wisdom words: "It is useful to forget past failures. Learn from them, then let them go. A story that continues to fall flat might benefit from sitting on the shelf for awhile, or even forever. Its sole purpose might have been a learning exercise. Not everything needs to be finished."
ReplyDeleteI've read it's important to begin new projects and not allow a pet one to keep us hostage to a dream that may not be part of God's plan for us. Sometimes we get to revisit an old manuscript and revise it for future publication. Not always. But we must learn from our previous work and press on to create new ones.
Blessings.
Wonderful post, Lorilee. I appreciated the line "Forget it." Sometimes it takes admitting the failure of an idea and walking away before the words come. Sometimes it is helpful to forget in the middle of floundering.” Many times we create a battle that we need not push through. Thanks for the reminder that it’s ok to fail and to learn and let go.
ReplyDeleteWhat an excellent choice. Some very deep thoughts here which I appreciated.
ReplyDeleteSuch lovely thoughts on "To forget or not to forget..." Thank you, Lorilee!
ReplyDeleteI loved your play of words on the letter F. You found words that made your piece flower and flourish - no sign of floundering here. And your advice is bang on - sometimes we just need to 'forget it' and move along. Thanks, Lorilee, for sharing.
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