Writing

You can tell when I've been writing poetry as it's usually when I'm in bed, around 10 - 11 at night (hence why I sleep with a pen and paper by my bed) and there will be scattered leaves of an A4 pad lying on the floor. It is true that I am actually addicted to stationery (along with chocolate) and am unable to pass a branch of Paperchase or Waterstones or even better, independent stationers, without investigating what they have on offer. However I would never dream of soiling any of my beautiful notebooks with my first attempts at poems in case it spoils them. For some reason I also have a different style of handwriting for writing rough poetry at night - a slanted and scrawly style which even I find hard to read. It is completely different from my neat and rather upright (uptight) every day handwriting but this can't be anything to do with speed writing as I use my every day handwriting for lecture notes at University on a weekly basis with no problems. It is just habit and it works for me.

Take this evening for example. I've managed a couple of poems and a couple which have the potential to either work or to be drivel - they could go either way. Hard to tell. There could definitely be something workable there. I'll have to put them away and maybe get them back out in a couple of days. Meanwhile I'm going to bed surrounded by sheets of cotton and sheets of paper.

Night all.