Writing Junk, a Poem, and other Rambles

If you are a writer you've probably been told to write junk. I write it continuously.;-) But what this is supposed to mean is "get started on something or anything."

If you don't feel like you're in the right mood yet, just scribble away with whatever comes to mind. This gets you doing something and pretty soon you can get down to the project you want. Writing junk has been the only way I have defeated writer's block besides running and brushing my teeth. This is how my sorry excuse for song lyrics started out.

Many experienced writers suggest starting with poetry or some sort of metered ramble. This helps you get into the flow and rhythm of words. While this can be a little degrading for the cause of poetry, I think it works really well.

The biggest problem I have when I touch the keyboard after a break is stiffness. When I start writing all the words are going to be one syllable in five word long sentences. I have to get myself to loosen up somehow. I haven't got all this figured out yet, and my writing of "junk" is much more extensive than warm ups, but I know it's helped me.

Now I actually want to learn how to write semi-respectable poetry. Why do I have so many interests? I can't possible learn enough about everything I want to! It's so easy to just end up knowing a little bit about everything...and it's not all that helpful.

So, I'm sharing a piece of "junk" with you.

I've have two song ideas that I've been hashing out for several months now. As soon as I get really attached to an idea it's so hard to make it work. If I just start writing to write and something comes out, everything is so much easier. I'm sure you've experienced this before. A very natural phenomenon.

So, these two ideas are still in a jumble, but I did write something rambling to get in the mood.

I didn't have much of an idea of where I was going, but when I could tell I was going somewhere, I started to think of where that might be... (I'm so organized. :-P)

I recently read I Capture the Castle which was certainly an interesting book. I really liked most of it, but a couple issues came up that have been (apparently) simmering away in my mind.

In the book, Cassandra, the heroine, dabbles in Christianity but basically decides it's a sort of opiate for not really living life. She thinks she'd rather have the pain and misery and really feel and experience everything. The "pious" people she knows seem kind of secluded in their corner and rather childish. The book doesn't really come to a conclusion and just abandons the thread.

You hear this idea other places too. I think the way a lot of artists think relates. They just want to live. Don't bother with the other stuff (a.k.a. not doing whatever you feel like).

I'm not sure if I'm explaining this well, but it seems like a pretty sad idea.

I don't think you can truly feel all the wonderful things God intended for us without Him.

Love, joy, suffering, hope, death...they're all meaningless without Christ. What is joy without God? Can we even call that sort of one-dimensional happiness joy? Where is hope? Love is only centered on ourselves. How is that love?

Christians fall flat on their face and feel it. They also feel the exhilaration and forgiveness as they are picked back up by something stronger than themselves.

Yeah...so, anyways. Here's the song/poem/junk thing-

I know no wisdom
I see no truth
I run without looking
I stop without stumbling

There is no beginning
There is no end
There are men circling
There are men spinning

I have no confidence
I have no hope
I live without meaning
I die without leaving

They sing their singing
They shout their praise
They cry while dancing
They sin while praying

I cannot discern
I know no joy
They run while looking
They laugh while stumbling

I feel no future
I have no tears
They praise while dying
They laugh when crying

I always enjoy thoughts and criticism.

Thanks for reading,
Miss Pickwickian