This year’s spring cleaning rituals included a deep dive into my desk drawers and writing files. My version of organizing over-flowing drawers and shelves is to review every single piece of paper, create many ‘keep’ piles and file very little under ‘trash’. The piles are more orderly for the moment and the bonus is that I could not help but get inspired.
Along with the collection of excellent resources, a lot of writing was unearthed during this exercise. Much of it was written ages ago and most of it is unfinished. The unfinished work includes quite a few characters who have been lurking around for a while so this was a chance to get reacquainted with some of them. Charlie’s story is the most developed. He is a recluse who lived in the Yukon wilderness during the early part of the twentieth century. At age seventy five he visited family – with perils and joys included – in the mid-nineteen eighties urban landscape of southern Ontario. Amelia is a teenager struggling with grief after her twin’s death and there are a couple of adventurous musicians who played at dance halls during the nineteen forties and fifties here in Grey and Bruce counties. These characters and many more mostly inhabit only a few paragraphs each, their stories yet to be told.
Happily, there are a few completed short stories as well. Two in particular have been very affirming for me and have given me a boost of confidence. Dare I say, I think the stories are good. While enjoying the feeling of being happy with the writing, it was also easy to see what improvements could be made. This was really fun to discover and to realize that a good portion of what I’ve learned over the years has stayed with me. Maybe I am more capable than I believed.
The age-old problem for many writers is facing the blank page. Even for those who practice positive thinking and have a glass-have-full perspective, it can be a challenge to get started. We can reframe this dilemma by trusting that we are bringing experience and skill when facing the blank page. When we add a little confidence and enthusiasm to the mix when staring down the blank page, we can change it to a half-full page. Think of the potential.
The recent immersion in all things writerly has given me a nudge and created a positive shift in my writing mojo. With the May sun shining on my desk, I no longer need to dread the blank page. It is easy to see the page as already half full.
