State of Mind

To immerse myself in the revision process requires different wiring from drafting that Vomit Draft. The words are on the page, or at least a version of the story before I changed lenses. So what changes? No longer focused on the MACRO, I consider the pulse, how two words are juxtaposed, and whether the sounds evoke my intended tone.

In my Book in A Year 2024 group, I was justifiably accused of unnecessary alliteration. There were a few darlings that I strangled early on. There are more in the weeds.

As I’ve mentioned in this Substack, I’m rereading The English Patient. There are extensive sections when Ondaatje describes a character defusing a bomb. The character thinks it through while singing loudly. He faces obstacles in each “problem” and often must step back to find another route. I find the character’s methods to be metafiction. While Ondaatje was writing this novel, I suspect he got buried in the quagmire of his multiple narratives and nonlinear plotlines. Yet in each section, he deftly escapes with a loosened resolve, as if he shares this similar state with his character Kip.

I call that state Alert Relaxation. I see that the two opposing states of alertness and relaxation can create additional energy. My focus can sharpen but without restricting the flow of my ideas. My spine is straight. My shoulders are relaxed. The tension doesn’t go away, but rather my momentum is propelled forward in a non threatening way.

Yoga and breathing teach me to practice being in this state.

Try it. Slump over your belly. Raise your shoulders to your chin. Hold that pose for two minutes. Can you think of your next? Impossible. It confines both thought and muscle. I bet you can’t pen an idea.

Now, try again. Lift your heart or chest bone, feel your spine lift, and work to lower your shoulders. Raise your forehead slightly above your line of sight. Breathe. Slip into your narrative, your creative project, pick up a pencil or a paintbrush and begin. In this alert state of released tension you will be able to proceed uninhibited.

For a yoga practice I recommend Adrienne Mishler’s Prana - A 7 day Yoga Journey on https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLui6Eyny-UzzWot7-fuGgm92N3EYlJkiD