Cogitating Consistency

A friend and former co-worker used to say to me, “Cogitate on that in your copious spare time.” I always liked that phrase and that concept, and I find myself using it now with others.

What does it mean?

“Cogitate” is a synonym for ponder, reflect, ruminate, and deliberate. Most definitions describe to cogitate as to think deeply about something that is a problem or to plan out a scheme.

“Copious” means abundance, which makes it an odd way to describe spare time. Most people don’t have sufficient, much less plentiful unallotted hours. My friend and I always laugh at that part of the phrase.

After doing a previous blog about persistence, there is something I’ve been thinking about in my fleeting spare moments.

Consistency.

A blank sheet of paper is comforting if you have been there often enough. By returning, you develop a practice of writing, maybe even something of a ritual. Giving yourself a place to write and permission to write anything is empowering. Establishing a pattern of going to that place gives you a means to start and continue your work.

My practice is to write by hand in a 5” by 7” notebook. Why that size? It’s easy to carry, so if I have a copious spare minute, my tools are available. I like the notebooks that have 100 perforated pages; pockets in the front where you can put business cards or notes; and a wide enough wire binding to slip a pen into it. I get those ball point pens with caps that do not extend beyond the notebook, so that they stay in place beneath the wire along the side of the notebook.

I put the date on the top line in the outside corner of each page. I number each tenth page as a marker, and I also number each individual entry on a page.

What’s an entry? It might be the title for a future blog or short story; a completely independent idea; a description of something I’ve just seen or heard in a restaurant; or an indication of paragraph breaks if I’ve been working out the plot or dialogue for a short story or novel (I don’t indent on a page unless I’m making an outline).

The idea of numbering each entry has two purposes.

First, it helps me to locate what I’ve written. In the top margins of each page, I often have a word or initials that indicate what matter is contained on the page. For example, the initials of a story title so I can flip through the pages to easily to find and type up everything on that subject.

Second, because I number entries consecutively throughout the notebook, it gives me a sense of accomplishment. I began my last notebook in September and finished in February with 266 entries.

When I look at descriptions of events occurring at the time I was working on short story ideas, I remember what was happening in the world while I was “cogitating” on a certain passage. Also, I persuade myself that my entry pattern will help scholars who later study my work and writing habits. [Please, let’s all pause now and have a good laugh! Even so, it is something that Carolyn See advocates in her book Making a Literary Life. Not only should you picture yourself as a writer, but imagine what being a successful writer will bring into your life. I’m just trying to accommodate that image!]

To mark time and see how quickly I’m able to fill the notebooks, I select notebook colors that reflect the seasons. The notebook I started in September was rose, the one I’m writing in now is deep purple, and one I have for later in the year is green. I also have a bright orange one waiting in the wings!

How often do I write? I wish I could say every day, but that doesn’t happen, particularly during busy times at my work. Listing the date at the top of each page helps remind me how long it’s been since I last wrote and spurs me on creatively.

What keeps me going are the surprises along the way. I’ll think I know where I’m heading, then something intrudes, and I’m off on a different, unexpected path. That surge of joy and discovery propelling me forward is a great motivator to continue. It’s not so much me writing as it is my story directing me. The most wonderful part is that I’m no longer alone in the process. I’m not the only one seeking the way. My story is beside me, also making the effort.

So, why is writing consistently in a notebook beneficial to writers? It gives them a safe place that feels like home, where they can experiment, comment, and, if they are very lucky, race to keep up with a story developing beneath their fingertips.

Do you have methods that help you to write consistently? What are they and how do they benefit you?