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tenterhooks's avatar

I love everything about her and this post! I sit with her books on my bedside, Slouching Toward Bethlehem and The White Album, like a literary bible, I can open and be inspired. Her Netflix documentary is phenomenal if you haven't seen it yet! Thank you for this beautiful piece!

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tenterhooks's avatar

It’s called “The Center Will Not Hold” 🤍

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

Aw thank you so much! Much appreciated! Wow, you’ve got a little tribute corner at your house. I don’t do Netflix but share the title in case anyone else wants to see it and it’s possible to access it elsewhere. I will check those other titles.

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Chen Rafaeli's avatar

okay..maybe I'll read Joan Didion at last (no, I havent't yet))

Good essay, thank you 💫

PS the thing with the notebooks....I have them...but I can't read my own handwriting...I know that and if it's a poem-I try to re-write it so it'll be readable somewhat, and still it's hard, especially after some time . If it's something else, written fast..chances are I won't be able to understand it, plain and simple.

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

And thank you for your kind words!

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Chen Rafaeli's avatar

🎈

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

You know I have that problem too sometimes. And I wonder if the pieces I cannot read and put together are meant to be written down and done with in that way but not require a read later. Just thinking out loud here. Maybe you don’t want them to be re-read…

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Chen Rafaeli's avatar

I'm not sure as when I wrote extensive notes in university-I definitely needed them to be readable,and as I had good notes many would borrow them and complain about handwriting...but I was younger and understood albeit with some difficulty sometimes..)) With years it deteriorated even more,

Still, it's interesting what you're saying-I had my "interested in graphology" period, quite short one, and yes, that's one of the ways of looking at it.

I don't think it fully applies in this case though- I've just horrid handwriting (it looks ok...from afrar...))

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

It's a story to tell right there. If people needed your notes and then complained about handwriting... I don't know they should've taken their own notes. As we get older, I find we all take notes of different things and I always struggled with content of other people's notes at university. They rarely noted down things I found relevant. Sometimes yes, but often it was the bits that were not written down that I wanted. And as we get older, the less we take notes because everything is digital now. People record on their phone or type on it so we lose that skill of writing and note taking. Don't be too hard on yourself with the handwriting though. It is what it is. Thank you for sharing all this. It really gives food for thought and makes me evaluate my own handwriting now.

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Paul Wittenberger's avatar

I have the same problem, Chen.

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

You're not alone in this Paul.

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Paul Wittenberger's avatar

I rarely use notebooks anymore, but I have a NOTEBOOK file on my desktop PC that I add to almost every day.

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

And how else do you use it apart from adding things to it? Do you take stuff and build upon for your poems or other writing? That’s a great way to have all you notes in one place as it’s easier to find if you wanted to do a search.

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Paul Wittenberger's avatar

Exactly, SE. I add to the file almost every day and I also review regularly to “discover” new possibilities. I also use the Notes application on my phone to sketch out ideas and those also get transferred to the Notebook file. The file itself is backed up on an external drive so I always have a copy of what’s there.

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

That’s what I call organisation! Impressive! Thank you!

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Carolyn Jones's avatar

It’s a beautiful book isn’t it?!

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

You’ve read it too?

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Carolyn Jones's avatar

About 2 years ago I attempted to read everything she’d written 🤭

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

And how is that coming along? I totally get why you’d want to do that btw.

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Carolyn Jones's avatar

Read most - but other things come up. I’m teaching my daughter A Level Lit at the moment - that’s added to my book weight. 🤣 There is just so much out there - even when I have two or three on the go. I don’t think I’ll ever get through everything I want to read! As Plath once said - “I can never read all the books I want; I can never be all the people I want and live all the lives I want. I can never train myself in all the skills I want…”

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

Plath is right... but it's a dangerous route to think of this as being incomplete. Or maybe she didn't. It's great to have things to aspire to or else we're standing still. RESPECT for teaching your daughter. But imagine having read everything you want to read. Then what?!

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Carolyn Jones's avatar

🤭 Imagine… though I don’t think it’s possible. New books are released all of the time, conversations on here lead to new authors and a wealth of new material. X

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Gloria Horton-Young's avatar

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.” — George R.R. Martin

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

This is very philosophical. What a great quote thank you Gloria!

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Richard Blaisdell's avatar

The southern USA in 70s was still aflame in racial tension, but the states accepted Cubans in Miami and the military trained Vietnamese pilots for the unpopular war. A volatile time. Have a scrap piece of paper, writing on a napkin or a scribble in a spiral binder served a reminder of events and to make some sense of your own life. Maybe not at th time but in reference to hindsight to see the errors of our ways.

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

Definitely spot on. Old notes really get you to where you were that moment in time, in case you've forgotten. Thank you Richard,

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Elizabeth Grace Martinez's avatar

I journal every night, just free flowing thoughts on what I did that day and what i'm praying for. I used to keep notebooks on hand and write stories in notebooks. But now my notebook is my Notes App. I use it for all my writing, and I write more than ever. It's always with me, and I post photos on my stories as well. I have fragments of ideas, several book starts, many short stories and essays, lists, everything.

I love drawing with pen and paper and I love reading books on paper, but I always read on my library app or my iBooks app now, because the books area always with me.

I bought 3 books from a bookstore last week so I'm still a bookophile.

Wow that was more than I meant to say about this when I started writing. I love books! And writing. and notebooks!

Thanks for your essay.

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

Thank you for this and glad you shared. Which three books did you buy and what was it that caught your attention? It’s a wonderful gift to be able to dedicate a little time to writing each time. You’re lucky!

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Laura J. Wellner's avatar

I used to write in notebooks all the time, I should start again. Joan is awesome.

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

What made you stop?

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Laura J. Wellner's avatar

I never stopped, I started typing them into my laptop, and I also make notes on my phone. I should get back to pen on paper, it's healthier.

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

I agree, it’s a better option for many reasons that I can’t explain. It’s just better even though it takes more time writing on paper is a little special.

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Laura J. Wellner's avatar

The nice thing about having the digital journal is it's easier to search for something specific (I often have to look things up regarding artwork that I've made or the progress of a novel I was writing 10-20 years ago.) But there is nothing like the active writing in a notebook about the daily things done, seen, felt, experienced. I miss that process. (It's always about the process with me.)

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

The process is like the journey and probably the one that we learn from. Process vs end result, I mean you can’t have the end product without the journey.

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Pamela Leavey's avatar

I loved The Year of Magical Thinking, but some of her other books, not so much. More so for the subject matter, she is a great writer, and I totally appreciate that. My book reading has gone downhill, i find it hard to sit and concentrate lately and there are piles and piles of books everywhere saying read me. Great post Pilgrim. Notebooks are so important. I have stacks of those too, that I am weeding through looking for little gems to develop.

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

Yes, those piles of books are everywhere. I hear you! This lack of reading is a bummer. But if you're not able to concentrate, it's fine to have a break too. Thank you for your kind words as always I appreciate you!

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Pamela Leavey's avatar

I keep buying Kindle books in hopes to get back to reading. One day I will. Right now I am just happy to be doing some writing again!

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

Absolutely! I’m not into Kindle or reading on a device, other than the Substacks which I get on a device. I still like the idea of holding a book. Writing is good and am sure you read some stacks too.

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Pamela Leavey's avatar

I love my real books too, but I appreciate my Kindle as well. It’s lightweight, easy to hold and I can make the font bigger!

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

Bigger font and I guess light wherever you are! Although that light from a screen bothers me. Can you also change fonts on Kindle?

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Rick Schmidt's avatar

Great food for thought. THANKS!

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

Glad you got here and read it. Thank you Rick!

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