I would like to be a beginner. There is a joy and an exhilaration that comes with learning something completely new.
I am constantly doing research for my writing, and I have to go through a lot of content before I come across something I didn’t already know. I may glean a tidbit here and there, but it all fits into a context that I have already developed.
For my short story involving fish nets, I had to tie a few knots, but I had already watched someone make a net and I had studied the process. I knit, so I knew about tension and stitch size. I spin so I knew about yarn, cording, and S and Z twists.
I know enough about open hearth cooking or wood fired oven baking to bring off a decent Jumble (snickerdoodle) or Lobscouse (ham and beef stew). The last workshop I attended I learned how much heat is drawn out of an oven by metal pans, heat that could otherwise be used for cooking. Not a very useful fact, since we must use pans these days.
I attend two writers’ conferences a year and the number of useful or interesting things I learn is decreasing. I love the inspirational stories of the writers who have made it. I love hanging out with old friends. I thrive on blood splatter and DNA. But the last speaker who taught me anything was the locksmith who showed us how to pick locks. I may or may not want to pick locks or write about it, but I was intrigued by the fact that it was something I knew nothing about.
I don’t mean to sound like a know-it-all. I have a long way to go with both the history and the writing. I no longer look at them with the wide eyed innocence of the novice.
For my birthday this year I treated myself to a class in Tai Chi. I love the sequence in mystery shows where the cops are chasing someone through a park and past a group of people moving in unison with such grace. I want the camera to stop following the chase and show more of the extras.
I have several problems that make Tai Chi difficult for me. I have poor balance. So far I haven’t done anything on one foot, but it’s coming. I can’t tell my right from my left, so I am always doing the moves backward. I seem to have no body memory. I can do the moves fine in class but when I get home they are gone.
But week after week I go back and I love it. Having a patient teacher helps.
There will come a point where Tai Chi doesn’t feel new to me any more. I hope by that time I have learned enough so that I could be in the background of one of those movie set.
KB
I agree, KB, it's fun hanging out with old friends and learning about DNA, blood splatter, and how to pick a lock:)
ReplyDeleteStarting over doesn't interest me at all. I tried writing when I was younger and felt so green that I couldn't put a word on the page without internal debate. All of our experiences go into our writing. The research I do solves technical issues that I may incur due to plot. But everything else that goes into novel writing comes from within, and I'm getting old--that's the only good thing about it. I have experience.
ReplyDeleteI find I learn from being with others whether they are strangers or friends.
ReplyDeleteFor years I've known about the tie between mind and body but I didn't pay much attention to it until I tried yoga and had to recover after surgery. I hope I'm making pathways between brain and body that will enrich my life.
I have started over with writing twice following two bone marrow transplants after a managed to start over on walking, eating and excreting. I do not recommend it. I think with every gain there is a loss. I remembering wondering what happened to the Lone Ranger and who that bearded man who suddenly appeared was. Amazingly, the bearded man was the Lone Ranger. One time it was amazing. After that it was as predictable as Tonto going into town meant he would be beaten up by the bad guys. But I would not trade what I've learned for what I've lost. I'd just lose it one more time.
ReplyDelete