been on a writing jag the past couple of days. meaning i've written several poems and started a new series of prose-y sonnets for ed wood, jr. yes, that ed wood of plan 9 from outer space infamy. why not.

used to agonize over every syllable when writing, which of course is a very slow process. but my methods of composition has changed over the years to move very fast and incorporate outside sources, when available, into the texts. something along the lines of improvisatory writing. sometimes the first draft is the right one. often tho, the improvised text is reworked and reworked and reworked. revision is its own drug, and highly addictive. i have a few poems that are still banging around the grey matter written years ago, that are still not done.

i've also learned to let some texts go. some are still-born, while others may die a slow, agonizing death. sometimes i stare at a blank screen for an hour or so with nothing set down. i still call that writing, or at least part of the processes. when geof huth was showing me some drafts of his digiglyphs composed on his pda palm pilot, i was thinking what a marvelous tool. most of my poems are either drafted with pen and paper, which affords its own luxuries, even if my handwriting looks like an illiterate five-year-old did it, and directly on computer. certainly the methods of writing, where and with what tools influences the texts as much as what the poet has read that day, or eaten for dinner.

all this shit waxes and wanes. there are times when hardly anything gets written at all. which is alright, i've learned to be patient. but i'm continuously reading, and always thinking about poetry. always. why not.