Composing: in space, time, and movement

I found the video “I Move. I Write. I Move.” to be the most reflective of my own writing process. Like Laura, I also think through my ideas for a paper very thoroughly before putting words to a page. Even when I am writing I have found that I am very tactile, and prefer the movement of traditional pen-to-paper writing rather than typing. Unless it is being turned in for a grade, drafts are scrawled across the pages of my notebook with detailed revisions on top of the initial writing, layered through with different color pens. This is similar also to Jessica’s composing strategy. She talks about how she switches between different mediums – computer and paper – in order to write. I particularly liked when she described how she,

“Looks for where I should jump in.

Highlight, cut.

Move.

Rearrange.

Read.

Look.

Move on.” (Kairos, “Even with all this Technology.”)

When initially composing/outlining, I often go so far as to write entire paragraphs between outlining in bullet pointed lists and scraggly lines pointing to other ideas. When someone looks at it, it appears chaotic, but I like to think that it is my way of slowly cleaning up the chaotic ideas floating through my brain. Once I can see the chaos on paper, I can evaluate all the ideas and begin to reorder them.

Furthermore, I appreciated Laura’s resistance to “...the idea that her writing process happens solely when she's in front of her computer or during a focused session of reading and writing” (Kairos “I Move. I Write. I Move.”). Similar to her, I also rely on collaboration when writing – from anything as important as an undergraduate thesis to a small as a blog post. I cannot function in academic or creative work without having soundboards around me to bounce ideas across and inspire me. From my experience, I believe collaboration is vital to the writing process.

I understand that composing happens differently depending on the composer; however, I am not sure how I feel about the idea of having multiple tabs and screens up while writing. From what I have read and heard about “multi-tasking,” there is no such thing as truly being able to do two things simultaneously. While some may be better at switching between different interfaces and mediums, they are still losing a bit of time during the codeswitch. Moreover, I think that our attempts to procrastinate while working are actually our body telling us to take a break so that our brains can process. Rather than spending that brain break time looking through social media, I believe it is more effective to move. In the analysis section of the Kairos website, they write “composing is not just a cognitive act; it is a material [physical] act” (Kairos). When I was a child, I spent a lot of my time outside, making imaginative games with my friends. In this instance, I was composing a lot more effectively than when I am confined within a certain space, medium, and time frame. Even as an adult, I find myself composing when I am practicing yoga or at the gym. When I was writing my undergraduate this, I had the habit of bringing a small notebook and pen with me to my yoga classes for when a thought or sentence of inspiration struck. Composition, for me, happens best when I am not distracted by multiple browsers or chores. Instead, with just a pen and sheet of paper in front of me, and can singularly focus my mind on the task.