birdswg —

The nervous system resists its own exposure, one of writing’s most guaranteed promises. In my struggle to write daily, in my failure to write daily, I decided to cheat my nervous system, and write for 5 minutes every day. It was enough to put some words together before the inner critics had time to regroup and attack. This process helped me widen my window of tolerance to the writing process and made me realise that five minutes is a lot of time: enough for a small text to make its way into the world.

  • Five Minutes Is A Lot Of Time #13

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    (The stage is empty. In the centre of the stage there is a gigantic apple, bigger than the size of the average human being. Mita is sitting on top of the apple. Shalkon enters.)

    Sh: (pounding but trying to speak fast) I am so sorry I am late…thank heavens you are still here…I thought I would not make it…run as fast as I could…so many obstacles…oh…thank heavens I made it…I have it with me…I found it…

    M: (interrupts) Too late…

    Sh: What? When? …What?…(seems to have just noticed the gigantic apple)…oh…it happened already…

    M: Yes, I could not stop it.

  • Five Minutes Is A Lot Of Time #21

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    DEAR VISITOR,
    PLEASE DO NOT DISTURB THE WATERS BY TALKING LOUDLY OR BY WASHING OBJECTS IN THE POND. ONLY WHISPERING IS TO BE TOLERATED. IF THE WATERS GET DISTURBED, INTERSECTIONS OF VORTEXES FORM WITHIN SECONDS AND THE POND SPITS OUT POISONOUS WEEDS THAT WRAP AROUND YOUR NECK AND KEEP STINKING YOU FOR MANY DAYS. THE SUFFERING THEY CAUSE CAN BE AGONISING.

  • Five Minutes Is A Lot Of Time #6

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    I am holding the one end of it and I am pulling it. It is too heavy to lift so I am dragging it around. It scratches the floor and it makes a terrible noise, loud, squeaky. I let go of it for a while, leaving it in the middle of the room. After a short pause I get hold of it again and I drag it a bit more to the left, I hesitate and then I continue until I have brought it by the left corner of the room right in front of the front door. Now it is blocking the door. I stay for a bit in this illusion of safety and isolation. Then I move it back to the centre of the room.

  • Five Minutes Is A Lot Of Time #1

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    There was not enough light inside the narrow tubes and the Scapikals, who were not creatures of the dark, were squeaking and moaning. They would finish crossing over in three more hours because the tubes were long and they had to carry big bags filled with music notes on their backs. They were three hours away from bringing the music notes out of the depths of the earth to the surface and pass them over to humans.