A writing dialogue

Is it time for a new compilation? What is now different about the thoughts, feelings and moods (TFM) that float up from the unconscious? Am I whirling on a repetitive circle or am I slowly elevating on a progressive spiral?

A conversation follows between different aspects of my ‘self’ – the inner witness (William) and a neutral interviewer (Ian).

William admits that, “I have been reading kindle books about how to write”. This piques Ian’s curiosity and raises the question “Have you learned anything new and exciting? “Yes” was the reply, “but not as much as I might have.”

“Why not?”

“Because attention wanders and I dose a lot.”

“Sloth and Torpor – one of the Buddhist hindrances - what do you do about it?”

William pauses to gather his thoughts. “The main thing is that I don’t worry about it. My sleep pattern is disturbed by Parkinsons and its medication. So I go with that flow. There are few urgent calls on my time so dosing is rarely a problem.”

Ian is intrigued. “How do you arrange things such that you do not worry about it?”

William smiles. “The one word answer – ‘mindfulness’. The two word answer non-egoic mindfulness. Remember to be the witness and thus take the sting out of the monkey mind’s thoughts, feelings and moods (TFM). They then pass away and are no longer a threat to ‘calm abiding’.

Ian: “What happens when you forget to be the mindful witness?”

William: “Ego returns and brings discomforts through putting attention in the past or future.”

Ian: “Does that happen often?”

William: “Not as much as it used to. Practice has paid off. Several days can pass without existential ennui.”

Ian: “What do you do when the ennui appears?

William: “Just sit. Notice it, label it and let it go. Sometimes I put attention somewhere else. Wash the dishes; mow the grass; make a doodle; read a book; listen to a dharma talk – or a TED talk; write a story.”

Ian: “Ah yes – writing. What have you learned from your recent studies?”

William pauses to gather TFM and to focus his reply: “The basic principle is ‘show don’t tell’. Even in non-fiction report writing. Anecdotes and dialogue capture and hold a reader’s attention.”

Ian: “What are your feelings about this piece of dialogue writing?”

William: “There seems to be motivation to read more about it and to develop my skills. The topic might merit a compilation.