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Month: July 2011

Routine and confusion

municipal pool water cooler bluescreams, squeals, yells, and mothers’ fears kids play, make no mindof moms, lifeguards, sun or windonly rain, thunder, lightning bedtime bound sunny day of playkids home now, complaining begins so much childhood sufferingmovies in the basement darkwithout popcorn, pop, and chips 101 smell of summer grassdust,…

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The lost day: Developing writer’s discipline

Dear Gene, I can well imagine the problems you’re having organizing your days. The discipline it takes to develop a routine when work, family, and volunteering don’t is something I have yet to master well—and I haven’t had worked for anyone else since 2003. Yes, you will point out I…

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Procrastination poems

Forest In this clearing, batsflutter in sunset circles. I brought my daughter hereas a child. Her echo nowin her brother’s eyes, laughing. fire a fire at the endthe boy’s stick traces letters playing with fire startswith nine years, wood, a fatherlost in a shooting-star night morning she sleeps, her eyeslost…

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Structure, form, and writing like a maniac

Dear Abby, I’ve been struggling with the dissertation thing and only this week got out of thinking about it in terms of a Ph.D.—complete book, professional affirmation, personal achievement, not being a slouch, having completed something in the professional realm, a way of showing “those bastards”—all the baggage you can…

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