this is as far as I got
this piece began as a kind of joke – re-writing Ursula Le Guin’s Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction as a ‘pocket’ theory of fiction
scaling it down to explore writing from the margins – whether in terms of identity or the kinds of ways innovative writing tends to be published – and connect it to the fragmentary and constellatory forms it often takes

I mean it’s a great premise, I’m not going to be modest about that
but I did what I always do which is get stuck on the thinking stage and become unable to move to the making stage

endlessly pushing quotes and ideas around on a word document
like – if I can make the second pocket related pun –Beckett’s Molloy moving his sixteen stones between each of his four pockets
but this is again my problem – just dropping that reference in, it seems to fit / describe something but it doesn’t go anywhere – stray thought
doesn’t help that there is almost unanimous preference amongst my friends & anyone I show drafts to for my notes over my ‘finished’ writing – cause crisis of confidence in anyone

and to add to this stalemate – one song going round and round my head, which I’m going to blame for not being able to move forward
‘Our Love is in the Pocket’ by … can’t remember his name (click spotify) – embarrassingly into Northern Soul as a teenager – another tangent that isn’t going anywhere
tried to just lean into this as it wouldn’t let me go – made a video of my window with the song playing on repeat which in my head looked pretty great, very Charlotte Prodger, but in reality it wasn’t & so I still have no essay & not even the consolation prize of a funny artwork