I have just finished reading the book 'Standing at the Water's Edge'. It's a good insightful book. One of the main themes is that one should not force oneself to get into an immersing experience. Also, one should not be harsh on oneself and should accept moments of procrastination as normal moments when one's subconscious is working behind the scenes to solving current creative problems that one is facing. Quite a good advise especially these days when I am in a slump and missing my self imposed deadlines to write. So one should take it easy, relax and take it into one's stride.
I especially like the passages on getting supportive relations to help. The writer has made a link between once creative ability and one's psychological maturity. The sense of self that the writer write about in her book. The psychological maturity is embedded in one's having mature and stable relationships. So it's a good work that focuses on the artists psychological framework. It's something that I never though about deeply in the past. It was more on writing skills and getting more experience for me. I also like the section on crafting which is not really an immersing experience like the act of real writing. I guess this falls under the activities of planning, organizing and re-writing.
In the Appendix, there's a short questionnaire that reader's fill-up to learn more about themselves. I filled it up and learned more about my fantasies, self-perception, fears and support structures. I guess I know myself better plus my struggles to be a writer after reading this book. I plan to read all the books that I can on writing and being a novelist before I move to my new overseas assignment. I hope to complete all my readings so the new environment will be conducive for me to be a writer. There are so many areas that I had missed out of naivete. Now I know better.
Last weekend was good despite some moments of indulgence. I went to my son's school to listen to an overview of parenting teenagers and polytechnic education. A good series of presentation especially from the doctor who spoke about raising kids. We were given a tour of the facilities and I choose to look at the school's film and media facilities. We had lunch at the school as well and I tried to ask about moving my kids overseas but did not get a good reply. I enjoyed the morning session and I have a good idea of the local educational system. After I got back home, I slept in the afternoon and went roller-blading in the park, went to mass and had our usual dinner. I bought wine and borrowed a lot of books from the library.
I slept late but woke up early on Sunday morning. I went to my guitar lessons, sent swimming and watched the latest James Bond movie with the family. Afterward, we had a late lunch after 4pm at the Marriott hotel. I have free vouchers worth $ 200 and spent nearly 70% on a buffet which my kids enjoyed. I hope to go back to consume the rest. I went back home at about 6pm and watched an Argentine movie. My wife went around the shopping district after our late lunch. So not much was spent writing or surfing the Internet during the weekend. But I had a chance to continue listening to Niall Ferguson's great book 'Empire.'
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