It’s 5:30 a.m. On the one hand, I’m getting up early to make up for the hour I missed yesterday. On the other hand, I’m waking up because I went to bed early, and this is actually my preference.
Sitting here, I realize two things: first, waking up early has never historically been my preference. I’m surprised that I’m feeling fine about it. I used to detest being up at this hour and have always felt like I was a night owl. Second, I forgot what the second realization was because I spent so long with that first part.
When I opened of my many digital spaces to start this, I saw this that I’d quoted from a recent training on writing:
Binge writers spend 90% of their time doing the least fun stuff (drafting from square one)
Steady writers spend 90% of their time doing the fun stuff (revision)
I’m not sure if I was having fun this morning. I spent 595 words realizing I don’t have ready answers to the questions I’m trying to answer, and a few of those going back through sources that are helping me answer a different question.
I’m providing a copy of the writing I created this morning because I realized that what I call a “zero draft” and what others call a zero draft might be something different. I’m writing, in part, to chain my mind down to focus, so there is a lot of unreadable nonsense that looks more like stream of consciousness. The other thing that makes this unreadable is that I’m drafting on a Freewrite Traveler, which encourages typing words and avoiding the temptation of editing as I go.
I then take that mess and highlight what I feel is important and try to move from that point. I have never seen any writing from anyone else at this stage, and I’m wondering, “Am I the only one?” The rare times people have shared writing with me, they look nothing like this (I also don’t typically share this, either). I feel like I’m starting 50 yards back from the starting line with an obstacle course of my own mind in the way before I can even arrive at what others call a zero draft. See below for what I mean.
What’s working/still working:
I am 21 for 21! Does that make 4 weeks of writing in a row? I’m starting on week 5.
What stopped working:
I haven’t been getting enough exercise, though I have been spending almost all available free time working in the yard, which is nice.
What’s concerning:
I texted my adviser last night to say I was starting my writing session, but I had to pivot and skip it. Even though I made up for it early this morning, that’s the first time I haven’t followed through.
What’s not working:
Sending those updates. This Thursday I’m going to meet with someone and ask their advice about this. Or do I need advice or just to schedule time to do it?
What I realized:
Keeping key sources nearby for re-reading is a good idea, especially if I haven’t looked at them for a while.
What I tried today:
Getting to bed early and getting up early.
Where I need to go:
I need to figure out how to prioritize writing early in the day. I know someone who always says, “Done before 1.” That is, get things you really prioritize done before 1 p.m. It doesn’t need to happen every day, but what I definitely need to avoid is having my writing hour slip into the time when I need to be present wth my family.
I can join a writing group but need a few minutes to figure out my calendar.
Today’s Zero Draft
Ithink I'm most happy writing early - nobodyto bother me. That i think more than anything is the key - and I need to take a look at my calednar and figure out which writing session is best. ok let's go:
The Lawrence Tract was a grasroots, collectively purchased, privately develop, intentionally desegregated neighborhood designed as an experiment to provide homes for middle-class white, Asian, and African American families in equal proportion. I'm not sure how to transition from here to talking about the equal proportion thing,but say I'm here now:
In their landmark study, Eunice and George Grier discuss the different ways privately developed interracial housing projects (endeavors) developed their housing projects and they showed that there is a differnce btween ... should not be texting and breaking my concentration ... what do they say abouthte ratios? theys ay that l... this incluing them was somthing about how I needed to introdcue this chapter. So... introduc this section just on ratios. Mk. Totally lost my train of thought. Maybe gow ith yesterdayss' questions: Was this ratio typical? For the area, I know it wasn't. Though I'm seeing in Grier there are a lot more examples of this 1/3 thing. It is *not* the magic third, but a 1/3 binary black and white (2/3). Starts to feel stilted as I just decided I would publish this sectiono fo my writing. Gonna do it anywy. Is a stream of conscience the same thing as a zero draft?
I am not clear on the answer to these questions:
Was this ratio typical?
Why did they decide on this ratio?
Was the LT secretive or open about it?
How is cooperative defined in Grier, and does the LT define itself as a cooperative? Even if theyh don't, can I do that?
The quota, per Grier, feels undemocratic. There is evidence for this in the LT also.
Frisone article - Milgram aism for 2/3 white, 1/3 black ("no less than 55% white, and preferebly 67% white")
Reading Frisone makes me realize i need to re-read this again & keep it close.
Going back to Strowger, which is also enlightening. I found this: "Mr. Eichler, who has direct knowledge of the functioning of the tract, has in the last six months broadened his policy so that members of all races my now buy in Eichler Tracts. One can only speculate as to what the influences of the Lawrence Tract have been..."
Going to put a pin in this. Key falling off of my Freewrite ... do not need this righ tnow.
The other thing i had from thsi text is on the ratios: "Supporters fo the Fair Play Council felt that if a small tract of land could be obtained which could be set up as a "demonstration" of rqacially integrated housing with a "division of backgrounds" which sould [sic] favor all races evenly that this would not only provide good housing ...."
Doesn't say much. Thinkiing about going back to newspapers & digging through rest of sources. it hink this is a central problem witht he writing & zero drafting is trying to do the reseach at the same time i'm doing the writing.
Need to pull all drafting and mine it for a place i can keep moving from - it's the leading paragraph that has grassroots, colledtive, privatley developed, intentionally desegregated/interracial etc.
So far I've encountered nothing on what is considered nothing on why Latino residents were not considered, so in a way Eichler's "open occupancy" follows a much more tepid plan would have included other identities, in theory.