Kortney Garrison

In my Homeschool MFA it all counts–daily writing practice, reading, journaling, watching movies, reading craft books, taking classes. Because I don’t have great swaths of time to devote to this project, I aim to use every bit of my life to build up my writing.

But how can I be sure that I’m not just covering the same ground? How can I be sure that I am growing as a poet? Well, in a lot of ways I can’t be sure! I’m in it for the long haul and am working on habits that will be with me through time. I don’t want to just put in the hours, but also grow horizontally–to develop my craft while putting in the time. Here’s how I’m doing that.

Take Classes

This doesn’t come as a surprise does it? I love the accountability and passion that a class stokes up. I love learning from someone who is a few steps further down the path than I am. I love the small serendipities that develop as my work intersects with a teacher’s offering.

Meet with Friends

Something happens when you talk to other people who are doing the work you want to do. I do this online primarily. But every once in a while I get to see people in person. In a couple of weeks my writing group will meet over bowls of soup and glasses of wine. There will be music and laughter and deep conversation. I can’t wait…though this morning on a walk I realize that I should probably bring poems to share. That made me a bit nervous! So there’s my assignment between now and the cold night’s moon.

Submit Work

Sage Cohen says that you can’t get published if you don’t send it out. This month I’ve heard back from three publishers–two said no and one said yes. Hall of Fame numbers! Regularly submitting work keeps me returning to the work in revision. It honors the first heat of creation. I don’t know what my submission goal will be for this coming year. Maybe 12 submissions over the 12 months? I do know that I want to spend more time and thought in the revision process and learn better how to move poems forward.

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“I want to consider what William Stafford’s daily writing pages contained and how they worked for him–
how something like his approach might work for any of us who choose to give such daily writing practice a try.”

He would write something like a poem…or notes toward a poem…or just an exploratory set of lines that never became a poem.

He had taken a few steps up the ladder from silence in the general direction of song.

This can begin a process for distilling from ordinary experience the extraordinary report of literature. Nothing stupendous may occur…but if you do not bring yourself to this point, nothing stupendous will happen for sure….

and you are likely to spend the balance of your day in reaction to the imperatives of the outer world–worn down, buffeted, diminished, martyred.

–Kim Stafford
Four Elements of a Daily Writing Page in William Stafford’s Practice

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I live in William Stafford country. His words and work permeate this place. And it is a goodly inheritance.

His collection on writing called Crossing Unmarked Snow came out while I was in school, so it became our unofficial textbook. Come January, I think it might be my first re-read of the new decade.

Often when I’m writing I hear his advice over my shoulder: if you get stuck, lower your standards and keep going. I think sometimes when people encounter that axiom, they focus on being stuck or lowering their standards. But I think our attention should be to keep going.

That’s where the magic starts.

In the daily return. The simple companionship of attention and a notebook. A way to discover what we didn’t know.

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In Reggio Emilia classrooms, teachers often leave out provocations for their students–a neat collection of supplies or books, a pile of leaves, a lump of clay. Just enough to catch the attention of an interested child. Just enough to inspire them to use these new materials in the work they were already doing.

So each night I set my own provocation. A pile of books and a black pen. The french press filled with grounds, the kettle filled with water. A candle and matches at the ready. A room strung with twinkle lights. Pictures of geese everywhere!

In her excellent journaling class, Lori Pickert says we need to remind ourselves of the work we want to be doing.

Create an environment that nurtures you toward success. Make sure it reminds you of your plans and your intentions.
 
The whole world is trying to distract you away from your meaningful work. It is constantly bombarding you with messages about what it cares about: your clothes, your electronics, your weight, your dinner plans, your entertainment choices.
 
Create an environment that helps you focus. Advertise to yourself. Create visual reminders that call you back to your highest priorities. Make sure your space is constantly bombarding you with messages about what you care about: your family, your work, your values, your priorities, your goals.
 
Use your space to promote your most authentic life.

–Creating a Supportive Environment

The allure of screens, the bog of inattention, the 10,000 other things that demand our time–these and more can keep us from touching our work every day. From stoking that fire and gathering around its warmth. From staying with the work.

What steps can you take to creative a supportive environment?

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