Tuesday, May 18, 2010

filling in the gap

it's been a while...i do apologize to my avid readers (all two of you...). there has been quite a bit going on these past few weeks, and i feel a bit overwhelmed at the idea of trying to convey it all in a blog. so, i was thinking, why even try? anyway, i feel like most of you know what the last few weeks of college, graduation, etc. involves, right? suffice it to say i graduated (though i remember nothing about actually walking across the stage, except that i was definitely beaming when i was handed my [empty] diploma case), and did finally finish my internship portfolio.

in this past week or so of relaxing and contemplating my departure from ca, i have only once or twice felt pangs of guilt for not doing anything "productive," which i am pretty proud of myself for. a few mornings i even woke up and stayed in bed reading a book of my choosing...

lately i've just been getting this urge to write...i'm not sure what....but i have a hard time actually sitting down and doing it, because i have this feeling that it will take a while or, i will just need lots of time for that process. and i think i'm also nervous because it probably won't turn out how i want it at first....and i may not even understand why or what i'm writing until i get a little farther into it. it doesn't seem like that much of a commitment now that i'm writing this out, but for some reason i am a bit resistant to it. i have a feeling that resistance won't last much longer though. mary pipher writes in her book "writing to change the world":

"A writer's job is to tell stories that connect readers to all the people on earth, to show these people as the complicated human beings they really are, with histories, families, emotions and legitimate needs. We can replace one-dimensional stereotypes with multidimensional individuals with whom our readers can identify. In creating a world of I-thou relationships, writers can do much of the heavy lifting."

and she also quotes this wise man, james baldwin, as saying:

"You write in order to change the world, knowing perfectly well that you probably can't, but also knowing that literature is indispensable to the world...The world changes according to the way people see it, and if you alter, even by a millimeter, the way people look at reality, then you can change it."

i find those thoughts quite inspiring.

10 more days in azusa. very strange.

5 comments:

  1. i just love how YOU write. those are good quotes too. 10 more days is strange. i know. embrace the uncertainty...if you can.

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  2. i was just coming on here to leave you a comment sayng "anna donnahiwhuwh update your blog please cuase i miss hearing about your thoughts." then, pleasantly to my surprise, my eyes saw this new blog!

    strange strange strange. the world is strange. as are we.

    i agree with molly. i like your writing. keep doing it.

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  3. One of these two is an impostor. 53530

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  4. anna dear, im proud of you for staying in bed and reading! im sad you only have a few days left. also, i love those two quotes and am glad you shared them. sit down. clear your mind. and write. i deeply encourage you to do so. you dont have to aim it to be good or anything at all. just succumb to this desire.

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  5. PS. is your mom the anonymous comment here. if so-Hahahaaa! clever.

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