May 28, 2014

May 28, 2014

Written by Maximus Peperkamp, M.S. Verbal Behaviorist

Dear Reader,

It is in the middle of the night and this writer woke up to write these words. Tomorrow the big tree in the backyard will be taken down. It is going to be a big change. Another big change is going to be that this writer found a better job and is about to be hired. He heard it yesterday evening. While writing these words, this writer is listening to music by Antonio Vivaldi. The melody of the music is beautiful. He looks at the letters as they appear in front of him on the screen. It is magic. There is nothing and suddenly there are these  letters which make up these words and sentences. It is incredible this happens by moving his fingers over his keyboard. He is not in a hurry and patiently waits for the letters to tell him which words to write.

This focus on letters never occurred before. Normally his attention goes to words, or rather, to sentences which contain words. In this unusual writing, however, he looks at how every single letter comes out of now where. The stream of letters momentarily stops and then it continues again. How is this possible? Also, he edits this stream of letters and he prunes and aims it. At what are these letters directed? A question appears which is metaphorical, because there is no stream of letters. The stream of letters is just a matter of speaking, or rather, a matter of writing. However, once a metaphor like this has been introduced many thoughts are said to come to mind, for instance, that editing happens at the level of words rather than at the level of letters. Furthermore, there is attention away from the letters and the words towards the sentences. This is where the idea of aiming this stream of letters comes in. These letters are definitely words, which in these sentences have to go somewhere or it wouldn’t make any sense. This writer is not sitting here typing letters; he is saying something to himself and to the possible reader. 

It is pleasing to recognize that the production and the observation of these letters cause meaning, which is enhanced by this writing. There is a sense of discovery about where this is going. The question as such doesn’t arise, but seems to have become a context in which this writing occurs. Due to these words a space has opened itself in which this writer roams. It was never before clear that this is what actually occurs. This can occur when he writes. A space is created to express and observe what he expresses. In effect, due to his observation of his own expression, he is able to respond to it. He wouldn’t be able to do that without this space. His response to his own words is a joyful expression of unity between the writer and his writing.This writer has been saying all along that reading while one writes is similar to listening while one speaks. However, he maintains that the former only makes sense in the context of the latter. One can only come to reading while one writes by listening while one speaks. This is how it can be discovered.