Writerly Talk, or rather blogospheric exclamation!

One place that I go for inspiration to write is my collection of writer memoir and biographies. A long time favorite is Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down The Bones (isn't that title fantastic?). A converted Buddhist, Natalie applies Buddhist tenets to her writing process. She emphasizes looking into matter deeply...and letting yourself make mistakes. She also writes about where to find inspiration (everywhere...but more specifically, inspiration within your personal daily experiences).

She writes, "When you tell friends stories, you want them to listen, so you make the stories colorful...It is good to talk. Do not be ashamed of it. Talk is the exercise ground for writing. It is a way we learn about communication- what makes people interested and what makes them bored" (77). I think my struggle with the internet is grounded in this idea. Using media in the English classroom stifles living and colorful human conversation and interaction. Case in point: I hosted a dinner party for a small group of some artist friends...musicians, dancers, writers. Sitting at the table after the meal, conversation shifted to utube videos. Suddenly, three of the six people pulled out their iphones/internet connected hand-held cellphones. Everyone gathered around these small screens...conversation diminished...I felt lost. What happened? Where is the energy? I guess the situation did provoke me to writing...but, isn't there more to say? What about strange exchanges we had that day? Or new ideas for a dance or song? No...instead, we looked at some dumb video. Can I blame the influence of hand-held technology? Or...should I blame us as a generation? More on this soon...