Columns don't write columns, people write
columns.
Of course I don't
really mean to suggest that some inexplicable automatic process takes place via
which words comprise sentences, sentences paragraphs, and ultimately some sort
of finished product materializes. But I do mean that the whole of a column isn't
something that I fully map out before writing a first sentence. My mapping is
often little more than a collection of snippets that relate to a central topic,
a general direction. Often I'm not sure whether I'm going to conclude that I'm in favor or against what I'm writing about. As I write I'll often remember
an article that's only partially related to the topic, and I'll then reexamine
it in order to decide whether I should include a reference to it in the column.
Sometimes, when trying to find that only partially remembered article I'll run
a search that brings me to something else which very adamantly whispers to me
that it just has to be included in the column as well. Though what gets posted
is a final product, a totality that has passed my own inspection and seal of approval
rather than a random collection of links, that final product is a precarious construct.
A few different leads from a few different links, an article not found, an event
that brings something unexpected to mind - all of these could have brought about
a very different end product. Often I feel that I'm lucky that I maintain a schedule
of a column a month. If I didn't, I might find myself writing
and rewriting the same column again and again, continually changing my position
toward the topic at hand.
Go to: Do you believe in magic?, or
Go to: A
magic strand?