When the task of writing becomes so overwhelming I can't even begin to write, I take it one sentence at a time. One word at a time would be too agonizing, but a well structured and/or flowing sentence puts me at ease.
One of the most beautiful sentences I have ever read is from Paul Thek's 96 Sacraments. The sacraments, hand written on journal pages, are currently on display at the Carnegie Museum of Art.
The sentence:
To fly away into the air about as high as a chicken can & then to come back.
I repeated this sentence to myself out loud three times when I saw it because I love the way the alliteration rolls off my tongue. Again, I'm put at ease. Not only by the words, though, but also by the image I conjure of myself flying away in the air about as high as a chicken can, and most importantly, of coming back.
Sentences help me come back to where I am in my writing. All I need is one to build off of, and it doesn't seem so daunting.
In the author's note for my senior seminar project, I told my professor that I love to tell stories but I hate to sit down to write. But, y'know, I think that is only true the more I avoid sitting down to write. When words start hitting the page, I feel lighter, and I feel worth something more to myself.
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