Writing into the day...

So at the UNC Charlotte Writing Project, we write ourselves "into the day". It's a time for us to sit, breathe, and use the act of composing to bring us into the moment. I've been writing into the day since summer 2005. I do it everyday in class with my students. I do it in almost every workshop or presentation I give. Here is what happens when we "write in":

The room is quiet or, if the audience is willing, music might be playing. Daybooks or laptops are out. Thoughts flow from all over the place, generally no prompt or idea of what to write about is given. Minds are free to wonder wherever is needed.

Sometimes I write about nothing. Sometimes I write about how happy, mad, curious, nervous, frustrated I am. Sometimes I write about how hungry I am. Sometimes I write about how much I hope what we do in class that day "works". It is a moment--to explore, to see, to think, to write.

I value these moments, though I'm not always sure why. Offered like an open hand, allowing me to hold or approach the day how I see fit.