Connecting With Your Roots
In The Right to Write, Julia Cameron includes a chapter about “roots” as related to writing life.
In order to bloom, all of us need a root system. Just as a regular practice of writing roots us firmly in our lives, a regular life roots us firmly in our writing.
Sometimes I get so swept up and taken away by all the creativity pumping through my veins. Do you get that? Inspiration overdrive, baby. I get tuned in and this state-of-mind can last a few minutes, a few hours or even a few days. And, when I am in creative-mad-woman mode, it’s hard to pull myself away. But, I have to - and so do you.
My wedding is in 9 days. For the last eight months, August 23, 2008 has been this sanctimonious day on my calendar. Crazy how a day can cause normally rational people to get downright irrational at times. (I’m mainly referring to myself). So much focus on that one single day. I recently realized what was happening.
The deeper I sank into the trenches of the wedding hoopla, the more roots I was severing. If I kept going at this pace, I’d have no lifeline back to reality - and to the real importance of my wedding day.
Replenishment
I’m blessed with some wonderful people in my life. Four of them will stand next to me as I marry my best friend and the love of my life.
Three of those ladies live in Denver and must have sensed that I was slipping away into wedding insanity. They put me on a plane and treated me to bachelorett fun, Denver style. (The fourth is preggo with twins :))
Nurturing roots of a regular life sure is a whole hell of a lotta fun! Girls, thanks for the much needed break and the memories that will stick with me forever. You gave my roots a much-needed boost.
Forget The Words, Write With Thought
Flipping through an old binder of mine from my incredible experience in Donna Ladd ’s writing classes, I found a Chip Scanlan article from last summer that I printed out and saved:
“Ways with Words, Ways with Thoughts: A Bond with Abraham Lincoln”
Chip got me thinking — which is somewhat amusing, since the whole premise of his post is about how good writers are good at what they do, not because they have a way with words, but because they are so savvy with their thoughts. So,
I only recently discovered how much passion I have for writing. I never had any trouble writing well, and never objected to writing during those years in college and graduate school. But, even through all that writing, I never found the spark to power that intense fire I now have for my craft.
Going back and reading Chip’s article I was suddenly aware of why it took me so long to find that fervor, and why so many people struggle so desperately when faced with the task of writing something - anything.
At War With a Blank Page
Writers and non-writers alike have experienced it. Sitting in front of a clean, white document on your computer screen, or staring at the unfilled lines of a legal pad on your desk. A blank page can be seriously intimidating if you approach it haphazardly. And, for the longest time, I approached it by eyeing what I just assumed was the prize for good writing: the language and the words.
I was so concerned with beautiful presentation, I ignored a fairly important detail. Was my material even worth presenting?
Seeking a Deeper Meaning
It wasn’t instantaneous. I didn’t roll out of bed one morning and decide, “Okay, today is the day I really start to think about my writing.” It would have save a lot of wear an tear on my computer’s backspace key, I can promise you that. No, instead, I gradually opened my eyes to new ideas about the writing process. I credit Donna Ladd, Anne Lamott, Julia Cameron, Chip Scanlan and so many other great thinkers with that awakening.
I finally stepped outside my ego and let go of that unhealthy desire for perfection in every word I put down on paper. Suddenly, writing became my way of making sense of everything, everywhere and everyone I encountered. I was on a quest to find the greater meaning, the ultimate truths, and I had the most reliable compass in the world to lead my on that journey.
Challenging Your Own Thoughts
The next time you get ready to sit down and type or write something, don’t do it. Well, not yet anyway. You probably are not as ready as you think. Instead, take a few minutes, or even a few hours if you’ve got the time, and really think about what you plan to write. You could ask yourself a million questions, but on account of space and bandwidth, I won’t list all of them. Here are some of my favorite questions, thought, that are sure to get your wheels turning. After that the words are easy.
- What will shock the reader most?
- In 10 words, how can I sum up what my story is about?
- What image or symbol best fits my story?
- What famous quote best relates to the topic?
- What one thing MUST be included in the story?
- What one thing can be left out?
- How many scenes does your story need to make sense?
- Is there conflict between any characters?
- Do things backwards. What should your final paragraph say?
- What are 5 words that best describe the sense of place you want to convey to your reader?
- The lede: what piece of info will make the reader want to keep reading?
- Pick 5 things in your story (a character, a place, and object) and list descriptive adjectives for each.
- What makes this story original?
- Think about how you might tell your story to a child?
The possibilities are endless. Once you become open to exploring new directions for your story, you’ll be surprised at how easily your thoughts start flow, and how easy and enjoyable writing is because of that.
It Is Finally Here….
The first two and a half months of my “official” freelance career. Two and a half months of my heart and soul poured into the slick, vibrant pages. BOOM Jackson.
I cannot begin to tell you how much fun I had working on this project. Every interview, every phone call, every word, every edit - all of it - was a witness to my leap of faith and my love of writing. I not only gained appreciation for my craft, but found a new respect for my hometown.
What an amazing way to start this new adventure.
Tonight, the magazine will be officially rolled at the Downtown Jackson Partners Development and Marketing Extravaganza. Can’t wait!
A couple of previews for you. One to show my joy and fulfillment, and the other, a peek at my favorite article.
Books to Bring out the Creative Writer in You
I haven’t talked a whole lot about my writing on this blog. I’m not entirely sure why. I am still exploring my own personal writing process, especially with blogging, and I guess I’m just not ready to expose myself in such a vulnerable state. I’ve always hated exposing any of my vulnerabilities. But, that’s a whole different therapy session in itself.
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I often have this love/hate relationship with my own writing. I know that when I sit down in front my iBook with the intention of pounding out the next story, blog post or rant on my unduly-broken-in keyboard, the words will come. If I just sit down, type and ignore the backspace key for one round, I will find that moment of comfort where all is truly right with the world. I am writer, hear me roar!
Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Well, what sounds like the easiest part is often the hardest for me: getting my butt in that chair and deciding to write. Can you relate? Do you just need a little jump start of inspiration sometimes? Boy, do I ever.
I find my inspiration from all sorts of sources, but I’ve found the best spark for the writer in me comes from books - not blogs, online articles or magazines - but books. I think it’s because I’ve always had this appetite for them. The content and contruction of books make this amazing little package that fits in your hands, is perfect to curl up to and reaches so many different people in so many completely different ways. I can’t wait to write my first one.
Here are five books that are truly special to me. During those times I’m fighting the thought of that computer chair, I can always count on these little packages to deliver.
1. The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron - No mistake that I stuck this book at number one. The first time I worked through this book was in high school, and I’ve done it two or three times since. Each time gets more rewarding. Cameron has the most beautiful and gentle way of giving you a swift kick in the ass when it comes to using your creativity. Just writing these few sentences about the book, makes me itch to start the process again. I believe I just might.
2. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott - Shitty first drafts, broccoli and index cards. If you are confused by any of these, you must immediately drop what you are doing (well after you finish reading my post :)), and go get this book. Lamott is a pistol with a pen, a poet with poise. From the book’s intro on writing: “It’s like discovering that while you thought you needed the tea ceremony for the caffeine, what you really needed was the tea ceremony.”
3. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert - A mix of grace, wit and that I’d-love-to-have-a-beer with you quality, Gilbert invites the reader to share in one of the most deeply personal experiences in her life. As she makes a major life change, she travels to Italy, Indonesia and India, and brings you along as she immerses herself in all three extremely different cultures. I guarantee Gilbert’s journey to rekindle her passion for life will ignite some kind of passion in you. I’m also totally jealous of her experiences from this book, by the way.
4. A Writer’s Time by Kenneth Atchity - Published in 1986, this is one of those books that will matter and mean something ten years or one hundred years from now. Atchity explores the creative process of writing, and offers poignant advice on all the steps in it. This book may be a little less “touchy-feely” than the ones I’ve listed so far, but its value is no less.
5. The Right to Write by Julia Cameron - Yep, another J.C. book. She’s just too wonderful. This book is not nearly as well-known as The Artist’s Way, but I love it just as much. She talks about quite a few of the same concepts from it, but here she explores them much more deeply. Some passages in this book I need only think about for a split second and I find that desire to write, and to be a writer….
“In a sense, our creativity is none of our business. It is a givin, not something to be aspired to. It is not an invention of our ego. It is, instead, a natural function of our soul. We are intended to breathe and to live. We are intended to listen and create. We do not need special pens. We do not need special rooms or even special times. What we do need is the intention to allow creativity to create through us. When we open ourselves up to something or someone greater than ourselves working through us, we paradoxically open ourselves to our own greatest selves.”
