I managed to get some bits of sorting and clearing done in the bedroom today. The front room and a major kitchen drawer -- all while the washer and dryer were in action. I still dint get as far as I'd planned for the day were also tackled before I moved on to doing doing little other than laundry. But then, as Scarlet said, "Tomorrow's another day." <smile> It was a rainy day, so a good one for working inside. It was cooler than the past couple of days, too, though a heat wave is expected to arrive by mid-week.
The grey day provided a background for pondering some difficult things. I read a quote in an online writing group that caught me off guard. In an interview, author Joan Didion stated, "[Writing is] hostile in that you're trying to make somebody see something the way you see it, trying to impose your idea, your picture. It's hostile to try to wrench around someone else's mind that way. Quite often you want to tell somebody your dream, your nightmare. Well, nobody wants to hear about someone else's dream, good or bad; nobody wants to walk around with it. The writer is always tricking the reader into listening to the dream."
from The Paris Review Interview by Linda Kuehl, 1978
I've never looked at writing as a violent act -- forcing perspectives and stories on other people -- trying to bring them around to your way of thinking. Hmm -- sharing perspectives maybe. I'm not sure I've worked to force others to adopt my ways. I'd like us to understand each other's approaches to life, but we don't all have to think the same. Hmm -- this one has me unsettled. I guess the mere reading of this idea has made me uncomfortable and may be trying to force me to see something that I'm not sure is really there. So -- her words are doing just what she said they were doing. Hmm
I enjoy reading ideas of others whether in a research article or a novel. I do walk around with the ideas encountered, thinking and examining as I go about my day. Some, like this particular quote, create cognitive dissonance. Do they fit my view of the world? Often they can be validating, as one finds viewpoints similar to one's own ontological and epistemological stance. Some days the thoughts just don't mesh with my views. That doesn't make either view right or wrong, just different. It is still intriguing to hear views that are new to me. Now words can be used in a hurtful or more violent way, but not all writing falls into that category. It can't just be the written word, but spoken word might fit, too, as I think of oral traditions and storytelling. And what about songs? They communicate verbally, too. I guess I'm still working through this viewpoint, which will take some time. <smile>
When thinking of a song to fit my thoughts today, one covers the pain of writing -- so the other side of the author quote that got me started today. Writing can be hostile to the writer. More Hmmm here <smile> Keep safe. Enjoy!
The Book of my Life -- Sting
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