In the past week or so I have written my Season’s Greetings letter and a piece for my high school class newsletter. Both require a lot of trial & error and creative thinking. I can do that but it doesn’t just flow like a Robert Frost poem. It is more like a sculptor chipping away at a marble slab, trying to liberate the naked lady who is trapped inside. Whatever it is that I do, that I have ever done, I observe the rule of ‘Good Enough’. Every task has its own trajectory and when it satisfies the rule I give it a name and move along to another task. But there needs to be a disclaimer or one might think the rule is a weak excuse for shoddy work. ‘Good Enough’ simply means the result meets or exceeds my arbitrary expectations. Those expectations can range from awesome to barely meets the need and true, sometimes it does mean shoddy work.
Both written pieces required several edits and revisions before they measured up to my ‘GE’ rule. This piece is still in its first draft and I never know how they will finish. I tend to edit as I write which is very bad if you listen to authors who put on writing workshops. They think you should know the whole story and where you want it to go before you start. They want you (me) to get the whole idea down in rough language and sequential order and then do a final edit and rewrite. I smile, nod and go on with my own scheme and a dash of Creative License. I did put together a research thesis in graduate school and that requires a detailed format from start to stop. After what seemed like endless (go back and fix it) revisions it was approved and I got my degree. But I keep my writing in the narrative mode now where I get the last word. This little stream of consciousness will end up Good Enough for my journal regardless but a place in my blog is still up in the air. I will come back tomorrow and again in a few days, tweaking structure, phrasing and word selection, again and again until it either collapses under its own weight or grows legs of its own.
The weather is unusually cold for this time of year and the only control I have is to dress appropriately. I have been weighing the pros and cons of a midwinter road trip to Arizona and that option looks better every day. At this point (in my life) anything that may stave off the sting of age related obsolescence is worth serious consideration. I tell others but more so myself that it is never too late to begin something new. That lets me look to possibility and good fortune rather than brochures and itineraries.
I researched the word ‘Skinflint’ and wasn’t surprised by synonyms like miser, pinchpenny and chintzy. I don’t think I’m all that selfish but I am a pinchpenny when I travel. The idea of paying motel prices for a warm bed and a shower leaves me cold and dry in the cab of my truck. I have a tiny, 4’ x 8’ teardrop camper, a serious sleeping bag and can overnight at truck stops where a long, hot shower sets me back about $15. Addiction to creature comfort seems to me a greater insult than Skinflint-ing my way down the road. It takes about 3 hours for me to organize and be outbound, for as many miles and as long as it takes. I could keep throwing words at the page, whatever comes to mind but throwing words has lost its appeal for now and moving my feet sounds good enough.
Both written pieces required several edits and revisions before they measured up to my ‘GE’ rule. This piece is still in its first draft and I never know how they will finish. I tend to edit as I write which is very bad if you listen to authors who put on writing workshops. They think you should know the whole story and where you want it to go before you start. They want you (me) to get the whole idea down in rough language and sequential order and then do a final edit and rewrite. I smile, nod and go on with my own scheme and a dash of Creative License. I did put together a research thesis in graduate school and that requires a detailed format from start to stop. After what seemed like endless (go back and fix it) revisions it was approved and I got my degree. But I keep my writing in the narrative mode now where I get the last word. This little stream of consciousness will end up Good Enough for my journal regardless but a place in my blog is still up in the air. I will come back tomorrow and again in a few days, tweaking structure, phrasing and word selection, again and again until it either collapses under its own weight or grows legs of its own.
The weather is unusually cold for this time of year and the only control I have is to dress appropriately. I have been weighing the pros and cons of a midwinter road trip to Arizona and that option looks better every day. At this point (in my life) anything that may stave off the sting of age related obsolescence is worth serious consideration. I tell others but more so myself that it is never too late to begin something new. That lets me look to possibility and good fortune rather than brochures and itineraries.
I researched the word ‘Skinflint’ and wasn’t surprised by synonyms like miser, pinchpenny and chintzy. I don’t think I’m all that selfish but I am a pinchpenny when I travel. The idea of paying motel prices for a warm bed and a shower leaves me cold and dry in the cab of my truck. I have a tiny, 4’ x 8’ teardrop camper, a serious sleeping bag and can overnight at truck stops where a long, hot shower sets me back about $15. Addiction to creature comfort seems to me a greater insult than Skinflint-ing my way down the road. It takes about 3 hours for me to organize and be outbound, for as many miles and as long as it takes. I could keep throwing words at the page, whatever comes to mind but throwing words has lost its appeal for now and moving my feet sounds good enough.
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