On Writing Poetry: Living Among Dreams

2011-08-23T15:10:00.001-07:00

My favourite way to write is at night, when everyone else is asleep. It's the same when I paint, too. I thrive amidst the dream energy of others; it's the most meditative I can be with people, short of making love with them. That's how my poetry is born, and that's where it comes from: intimacy.

Migraines & Morning Pages

2011-08-14T00:29:00.001-07:00

For the first year or two after my brain injury, I had migraines nearly every day of the week. After learning that various foods and drinks can trigger them, I put myself on a strict eating regimen in order to minimise the pain. Diligence has paid off.

This past week, however, I decided to incorporate two of the many foods that my body is unable to process: eggs and dairy products (I love cheese, kefir, and plain yoghurt). My little experiment has not gone well at all, and I've been paying for it all week.

Even though I wake up in the mornings with splitting headaches, I keep my pen to paper, and I write. I've no idea what I write about, and I don't recall what I've written. All I know is that I keep my arm and wrist moving across the pages until three pages are filled. There is a reason why Julia Cameron (author of The Artist's Way) teaches it, practises it, and preaches about morning pages: they are a powerful tool in the creative arsenal.

If you're not familiar with Julia Cameron or her books on creativity, I highly recommend them, as well as Natalie Goldberg's books; she's the author of Writing Down the Bones and Old Friend From Far Away: The Practice of Writing Memoir.

Brave Creativity

On Writing Poetry: Living Among Dreams

Migraines & Morning Pages