Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)
If you aren’t in a hurry and have read the line above the photo, you’ve all the warning you are going to be afforded. That’s not meant to be aggressive or adversarial or sound like I’m being a dick. It’s just that sometimes very often, in order for me to participate in a bloghop, particularly one in which the contributors are real people and possessed of considerable skills, well, I just have to give myself the slip.
Trust me, it’s better this way.
Where was I?
Finish The Sentence Friday. Kristi and Kenya and them are all over the Listicle thing. (jeez… I hope I have that right) I better cut ‘n paste the instructions and such.
Hi all! We’re on with the Listicle week of FTSF with “10 things that are better than anything except being in love.” The linkup will open up at 10pm tomorrow, Feb. 8 (eastern). Interpret as you see fit and join us! The party stays open through late Sunday evening so there’s plenty of time.
Write your listicle, and head over to Kenya‘s site at https://www.kenyagjohnson.com/ or mine at http://www.findingninee.com. Hope to see you there
1) ‘List formats’ because, if you don’t have any content to start off, they’re real simple to outline. In fact, simply writing out the numbers (with parenthesizes and not letting the auto-format editor force you into meaningless indents), goes a long way to start the process.
2) Getting the first line written in a post. Ernest Hemingway, (not to be confused with Doug Henning) is believed to have said, ‘The first draft of anything is shit‘. That’s got to make you wonder what the first draft of that advice looked like.
3) To get way serious for a minute, if pressed for time, I could, in fact, list a number of things in my life that are ‘better than anything except being in love‘. The problem is that I participate in a weekend bloghop called the ‘Ten Things of Thankful’. It is a grat ‘hop and in it we list the things in our lives that elicit a feeling of gratitude. The problem with that is, I’m a clark. It’s not that clarks don’t have emotions, (or are not emotional), it’s just that we’re kinda the Ikea of the three personality types. You know, cleverly designed with a great finished look, some assembly required. We (clarks) have as large a capacity for emotion as scotts and rogers, we just don’t always read instructions real good and, like a RTA bed, if you’re in a hurry to use it, you don’t always end up with what you see in the picture on the box. Though you can sleep in it (or on it).
4) Hey! you know what I like? A bloghop that I curate called ‘the Gravity Challenge’‘. (It is such a clarklike bloghop! lol) It’s a weight gain/loss ‘hop. It serves an accountability function (that can be helpful in one’s efforts to self-improve-oneself). Simplicity itself. We send on photos of the readout on our scale every morning except Sunday. The cool thing is Kristi’s Rule. (Kristi Brierley is one of the charter members and when I suggested the idea of simply taking a photo, she added the element that makes the ‘hop effective… the photo can be all or part of the readout, either side of the decimal.) The point being, the participation is about change, not a set goal or number. It’s fun.
5) I will resist the temptation to list my other bloghops… wait, there’s only one other, zoe’s Six Sentence Story. It’s a fun exercise and perfect for my efforts at remedial composition. (God, if only I paid attention in high school English instead of trying to learn the lead riff to ‘Sunshine of My Love’… hell, by now I’d be…)
6) The halfway point in any List-format bloghop is totally one of my favorite things. (Perhaps a far distant second to being in love… my definition of which, given the demographic ’round here, I’m totally loathe to reveal. It’s not just being a clark. It’s being from Y Chromia. A mystical land where all good efforts are rewarded with loud noises and un-conditional admiration.)
7) I should return to the issue of clarks and emotion. Maybe not. clarks reading this know what I mean. scotts and rogers will also know, provided they have significant secondary clarklike aspects. (the Doctrine maintains that while we are the personality type that reflects one personal reality (that of the Outsider, the Predator or the Herd Member), we have the potential of secondary and tertiary aspects. As an example, I’m a clark which means I should not be hitting ‘Publish’ on this post. I have a secondary scottian aspect, and so I have known to, in certain circumstances, run up and get in people’s faces and shout, ‘Hey!’)
8) I suspect any number of people here will have listed ‘family’ (and individual family components) by now in their respective lists. And that is as it should be. I, for one, read Dana’s posts and think… ‘See, clark? A post can be organized and logical and coherent and still convey genuine heartfelt emotion.’ Or the great ‘look at the photos and I will tell you a tale that launches from there’ of Tamara, or the personal journal directness of Kenya (where you feel the elements of her life that she shares). Janine, well, Janine is probably the longest-standing commenter here at the Doctrine (don’t hold that against her). No, don’t even get me started on Kristi Campbell... When I first snuck in the FTSF, she not only didn’t rat me out, she made me feel like I could relax. (Unfortunately she also wrote blogposts that, as I read, inspired visuals of my computer (trailing the keyboard) flying out my windows and crashing into a million pieces on the deck. But I somehow didn’t.)
9) For me, however, (with my clarklike appreciation for the ‘real’ world) when it comes to family, (Phyllis and Una), I go to the things, the features in the world that they have formed and created and even, remodeled. This photo is not simply of a woman, a dog and a treehouse. It is a representation of the part of my reality that is pretty damn amazing.
10) Speaking of pretty amazing. Here is a photo of Ola. She was the best thing that ever happen to me.
About clarkscottroger
Aw, that last photo seriously had me. Ola is gorgeous! Seriously though, I may hold that record. But what can I say other than you can take the blogger out of the commenter, but not the commenter out of the blogger. Still, enjoyed reading your list and now wishing you a wonderful weekend ahead :)
even in ‘real’ life we go way back… 2012 or maybe earlier? of course in the blog-years, we’re both sitting on the porch in rocking chairs lol
you guys do the same!
I know. Sharing innermost and sometimes outermost personal, emotionally real stuff is difficult. Listicles and photos are much easier than finishing some sentences, not that we haven’t a million times in a million ways inside our brains. The Doctrine offers insight into it all.
true dat! (I’m saying in the context of the Doctrine as a source of something within myself… I talk frequently about the Doctrine being the reason for me being here in the ‘sphere. Even more impressive (to me, when I think about it and certain perceptive people bring it up…ahem) is the level of daring(?) bravado(?) or whatever the factor is that results in me writing (some of) the things that I do…. thanks for the comment prompt!*
* comment prompt is a comment that encourages and inspires easily (and enjoyable) replies…
First off thank you for the shout out compliment ;-) I had to smile at #2 on your list. I’m like that and always have been with any assignment. The first line of a paper, post, poem etc is like getting the edges of a puzzle put together. Once you have that first line – you’ve got it – unless in the case of puzzles – there’s a lot of sky. I’ve said this before too, but I WILL check out Zoe and the six sentence story.
That blank ‘piece of paper/screen’ ayiiee! I’m a believer writing something/anything as soon as possible because then I’m editing, not writing. lol
Enjoyed reading your list and especially point number 8…you know the bloggers pretty well :)
I just love Janine, lol. She is a cheerleader and I’m so glad to know her.
In other news…Ola…what a sweet doggie! As for the last photo with Phyllis, I have to say that it made me smile: such bliss right there. BUT, there’s one thing missing: the Doctrine decal. See, I have my gray Doctrine sweatshirt I regularly wear, and folks ask me about “why does your back say “clark” and so begins the conversation. LOL. Phyllis needs “roger ’18” on the back. :D Haha…only what my mind thinks.
Happy Friday!
Of course, the “hey he talked about ME ME ME” says wow thank you for your super kind words and I’m so glad you never threw the computer out the window. What would we do without knowing about Clarks, Scotts, and Rogers??? Seriously. Also, I laughed out loud (as in more than the “LOL” seen in text messages about this line “That’s got to make you wonder what the first draft of that advice looked like.” HAHAHAH too funny. And of course, now I wonder what the first draft of that looked like. Ola. Sigh. I think I’m ready to get a dog again. And I so want a shepherd… but. The shedding. The shedding. The fur on everything I own. But OMG a shepherd. We shall see. I am weak and they know how to do that thing with their eyes that make you bend to their will, ya know? Oh but the expense. Chief was so smart we had to get new doorknobs that he couldn’t open. And he could open a window too with one of the old latches… so that. But OOOH… I love the pic of your fam and the description… “This photo is not simply of a woman, a dog and a treehouse. It is a representation of the part of my reality that is pretty damn amazing.” Love it. Now it’s my turn to throw the computer out the window.
You know the weird part of getting another dog (actually you have Tucker, so I’m guessing you already know)…. I look back and wonder at (and am grateful for) the kind of energy I had back when Ola was a puppy! Seriously! Not to indulge in being old but puppies (and I suspect, small humans) require incredible energy on the part of the parental unit.
Right fine bloghop you runnin here, Miz Campbell
Love your #9 and #10!
Note to self, remember the word sangfroid and meaning.
Your snowy woods photo with the sunburst needs to be framed. Very cool.
Great Listicle.
I’m grateful to the internet and blog writing for that… you know, we all have these odd words floating in my head. More often than not I do a quick check in the internet for a word’s meaning… (don’t tell anyone!) lol
One, on number 1) – OMG that is so true about the parenthesizes thing. WHat is with that? Thanks for the link ups to the other hops – I’ll be poking around. All first drafts are shitty – which I learned from Anne Lamont and those of her ilk, and even have occassion to spread that good news among newly ambitious writers. The knowledge gets us all through to something better, someday. Personally, my favorite writing quote attributed to Heminway is: “Writing is easy. You just have to sit at your typewriter and bleed” – You, know.
Lovely.
I’m finding that, in a way, writing is similar to my enjoyment of fishing. Conditions like depicted in the photo were mercifully infrequent and no one head out into it, but I used to enjoy coming in from a trip that involved bad weather. Nowadays with this writing jones it’s kinda similar. I like having written.
As I sit here, sinus headache having just caused fizzure of canyon proportions in my head, I will type on the keyboard that I just retrieved from underneath the bedroom window, cuz yeah, I know what it’s like lol
I’m with Pat! The snow scene is a most excellent picture. (now see?! right there. Pat has that naturally “descriptive” talent – she described it as “snowy woods photo with the sunburst”. Dammit. out the window again…. (“fraid you may have started something with that notion :D)
Very enjoyable, relatable FTSF post.
thankee
When I was taking six journalism classes at once, and then writing six articles a week, I used to say that once I got the first line or paragraph out of the way, it was smooth sailing after that. (not really but I believed that)
It also happens with blogging. And writing comments! I also love being halfway done with lists, but not with comments.
Also, Ola is totally smiling there, right?
the best illustration of her personalty ‘Big teeth, big smile’
Dogs in general do ‘the smile thing’ really well, but with her (I choose to believe) I can see the smile in her eyes.
Aw, I think this is the mushiest I’ve ever seen you get, Clark! I love this post. And thank you for what I’m taking as a compliment – being organized, logical AND showing heartfelt emotion. I write list posts less than I used to, but it felt good to go back to my old friend.
total compliment… to have the orderly and effective presentation but to have it link to (and therefore engage the Readers) the genuine emotion in your own life…v cool.