On Mon, 15 Jun 1998, Ian Patterson wrote:
> Who cares how many times anybody etc etc? It's almost as boring as knowing
> where people write and with what size pen.
> This can't just be because Keston and Doug are out of touch for the moment,
> can it?
Hooliganism [COD: perhaps orig. name of ruffiantly Irish family in SE
London] besides: it is interesting that you should find Ric's survey
almost as "boring" as "knowing where people write and with what size pen"
as were these Prurient Questions almost (the "almost" allows for the
intrigue of silence) as boring as the Answers. The survey is an enquiry on
the physical conditions of writing (where/how long/with what stimulants)
in other words, quantify creative/intellectual labour in terms of
temporal/spatial/resource indexes. Not that the purpose is a
qualitative evaluation, but some of the boredom upon seeing such a survey
might be due to the insistent institutional practice of assessing the
output of (intellectual) labour in terms of those indexes. It is the idea
of the accountable routine that bores.
But what if Ric (no Hoddle he) were not enquiring about accountable
routines, but rather, compulsive rituals?
Walter Benjamin has answered all Ric's questions. The compulsive
rituals of writing (physical rituals: where/how long/with what
stimulants) is what he returns to in his writing, action-mantras against
the block, exhortative penchants, senseless exercises, obsessional formulae.
Like "Post No Bills: The Writer's Technique in Thirteen Theses".
IV. Avoid haphazard writing materials. A pedantic adherence to certain
papers, pens, inks is beneficial. No luxury, but an abundance of these
utensils is indispensable.
VIII. Fill the lacunae of inspiration by tidily copying out what is
already written. Intuition will awaken in the process.
These "theses" on the physical ritual of writing and its relation to
thought, seem to function as talismanic reminder-notes to the
stumbling self. Touching base. Kissing the soil. Stuff like that.
Karlien
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