I learned SO much in the writing about Conflict section. Thank you for adding the bit about Max reflecting that most of the world is battling a conflict within ourselves. I am new here and really feel ignited to try writing in new and different ways thanks to WITD. Thank you, Jeannine! 🤎
I agree that agency is a biggie! I like this word better than personal responsibility even though it's saying the same thing. Agency, aside from sounding very cool🤣 calls us to step up to the plate of our own life, and our writing, with intention to draw in all the excellent factors you mentioned here.
I think writing and life intersect when you are writing to heal. I found myself when writing my memoir how writing the stories I remembered from my past by brain dumping the stories as I remembered them. And then when I read them, I could see I could rewrite them in fiction as I would have loved to for the story to be told
Doing this, I think would somehow erase the past trauma memories and reinstate a happy ending so to speak, by writing with "precise, vivid, and imagistic—language that wakes us up and makes us feel something" and with "curiosity and play" , as we have no past or future, we only have the now and we can create this as we go
Jeannine, I am, as you say so well here, among you and your son for whom conversation leaves people feeling both "inspired and tired." I detest small talk and am a deep thinker and feeler (highly sensitive person).
I have printed off these gems, as I continue to refine my writerly voice.
May I add that writing is a way of healing, as well? I have a background in counseling/psychology, and I have read numerous books (if you want/need, I can look up specific references) about how neuroscience points to process journaling as a way for people to work through their feelings and find catharsis. I am not speaking, of course, of writing for publication. But I do consider process journaling to be a necessary form of pre-writing, in the sense that we gain clarity, insight, and often empowerment in this type of exercise.
I have often discovered a phrase, sentence, or paragraph from my stream-of-consciousness journaling that generalizes well for a universal audience. Then, I can shape a story or idea from that seed.
This type of writing is especially powerful for those in trauma recovery, as it accesses the left/right brain integration, and it is a simple, inexpensive way for anyone who can read and write to find and use their voice! So, in that way, I believe process journaling can break down some of the barriers of privilege.
I started re-reading The Book of Delights yesterday, and one thing I always notice about Ross Gay is that he seems so ALIVE and FREE—certainly not unencumbered by social convention, but so able to look directly at it, then maybe sigh and chuckle, and then eat a fig because it’s ripe and juicy and on a neighbor’s tree he just walked past, and then read a book about it, and write some notes in his notebook, then write a poem, and go to sleep, full—and it seems to me he is an embodied example of this list. Reading his writing, it certainly seems like he writes and lives all these things: language, story. attention, agency, curiosity, desire, etc…
Your points on agency and revision made me recall how much fun I had writing when after a heartbreak I decided to pour all my pain into writing, and play with the form. My friends wondered how I could feel elated when I was revisiting the painful past. I said, “yes, but this time I have AGENCY! I am crafting this story any way I want it to be!” What was incredible is how quickly my desperation turned into a creative joy. In the morning I felt like jumping out the window, in the afternoon I was dancing! I wrote for two months straight.
What a treasure trove! This reads like a manifesto for both craft and the creative life and I have copied it in a Word document to return to again and again. Thank you, Jeannine.
You are speaking my language! Can I add back-story to extend your "dominant narratives?" There are the big and little traumas that are vital to providing the "why" for the flaws or struggles of our characters. This back-story is also what we can dig into as humans to inform and perhaps address the origins of our own "lies we believe." This helps us discover our "aligned desires."
I feel this, and for me right now I’m noticing the hard side of this: when my life is hard (I appreciate you mentioned those of us facing things we don’t have much agency over) - when things are hard in life I also find my writing slows, doesn’t flow, gives me little joy etc. writing is still important to me but I’m not sure it is actually worth the time it takes. Because my writing when I’m depressed is just not great. I’m the opposite of those people who believe you need to suffer to create. Give me joy and I can be super creative! And rest. My writing improves with rest…
Wow—I literally wrote a post today about how much of I’m learning about how to write fiction intersects with what I’ve been learning about how to live. Love the synchronicity!
Brilliant, I love this. Besides all the things you wrote, recently I saw an image on IG of neuron receptors creating new neurons (Kind of looked like tendrils reaching across to the neuroreceptor site) and I thought, So this is what is happening when I surprise myself while writing. My super power is curiosity and writing is a tool for exploration: my inner world, my reactions to the world around me, and how to connect them together. I know it saved my life and has spun magic in times of darkness.
I love the image of neuron receptors creating new neurons, yes. That's it. Thanks for this new way of thinking about it, Wendy. Neuroplasticity of the brain. We are always becoming!
What a wonderful surprise today! Thank you so much. I love revisiting every word and idea of this and feel it even more keenly for all the writing we have been doing or anticipating doing in the months since you last shared it. I do love the revisiting of posts and the opportunity to experience them according to “where we are” now- such a wonderful embodiment of all we do here. Organic metaphor, indeed.
In the spirit of close reading and living in the words and language, I looked up the derivation of the word,” metaphor.” If you want to geek out with me, it adds another dimension to the wonderful purpose of this bountiful post.
The thing that jumped out at me was that some metaphors are considered “ dead” because they have just become part of our linguistic expression. The example they give is “ I see what you mean..” Juxtaposed with your Life metaphor, I find it interesting to consider the cycle of life not just for us as language based beings, the language we do, but also metaphors themselves. And that death, in this case, represents a total surrender and acceptance of a metaphor as integral to our connection through language. It becomes part of our linguistic DNA, our cells we’ll pass on to future generations. SCHOOL echoes in these hallways, because it’s all connected…
First, thank you for your love of archival posts. WITD is growing so fast. At this time last year, we had about 7K subscribers. Now, 15K. These old posts don't expire, you know? All these conversations are evergreen. So it feels right to pull one out at least once a week, and I didn't do that on Friday because of the open-mic Zoom link. I really make it a point not to post twice in a day, lol. Anyway. I love this bit about metaphor!! I have not thought of metaphors as "dead" in this way, you know, but it makes sense, it's almost like they concretize?
And “ concretize,” like a habit. I am averse to anything that smacks of telling me how to break a bad habit or scold me for doing something “ wrong” so I thoroughly appreciate the way the new habit of observing and noticing and life-ing in this WITD way has crept up on me- concretizing in the sneakiest most wonderful way.. It is the way you teach and offer feedback, in that positive way, but it is also more than that. Like the “ doubling” we offer neurodiverse learners that is really companionship in the task at hand and modeling a way forward. A steady anchored raft in the waves we are simultaneously negotiating. Like life. Thanks for so much to chew on and the modeling. I submitted my piece from the reading, so thanks for the nudge support to move forward ! My goals for myself this year are happening organically thanks to WITD, and you. That is the only way I can sustain and “ concretize” things without abandoning them or getting in my own way.
And archival posts are indeed evergreen! I need to hear things many many many times to retain, remember, and to see in new ways. I listen to full albums on repeat for years until they become thoroughly mine. Rambling instead of grocery shopping- off I go into the trenches. See you Monday to write!💜
( that sounded flip— I know how much hard work it has taken to be a “ sensation”) incredible!! I am so thrilled your work is getting the recognition it deserves! Just glorious.
Well, not a sensation, no. If I were a sensation, I could be like George Saunders or Suleika Jaoud. It's actually inexplicable that we have 15K people writing in the dark, but it's, you know, a teeny tiny little bit to the actual sensations. That said, for *me*, it's unimaginable multitudes!
Re bad habits, I am an Aries! I really really don't like being told that I am doing something wrong. So independent, so stubborn!
But this idea of doubling is what I am really interested in--I have not heard of it. It kind of sounds like parallel play, but with more intention. Which is very much how I feel about this space; with art, no one arrives. We're all paddling (to continue your raft metaphor), so I am here paddling away, with some kind of awareness, as best I can, of my stroke, I guess, and when I realize an awkward hitch in it, sharing that in case it helps anyone else, or if I break past an awkward hitch, sharing that, and how, or if I have a sudden epiphany while paddling, you get the drift. It's co-creating, I think.
Anyway, happy grocery gathering. We had 4 grandkids here overnight, so I am recovering!
!!!! 4! Wish I could deliver bread pudding stat. And parallel play! Yes. The doubling was new to me as well but it makes so much sense for everyone, really. Hope you have your feet up near a fire and next to Frannie! 💜
I learned SO much in the writing about Conflict section. Thank you for adding the bit about Max reflecting that most of the world is battling a conflict within ourselves. I am new here and really feel ignited to try writing in new and different ways thanks to WITD. Thank you, Jeannine! 🤎
Amazing! So so glad you are here!
I agree that agency is a biggie! I like this word better than personal responsibility even though it's saying the same thing. Agency, aside from sounding very cool🤣 calls us to step up to the plate of our own life, and our writing, with intention to draw in all the excellent factors you mentioned here.
I think writing and life intersect when you are writing to heal. I found myself when writing my memoir how writing the stories I remembered from my past by brain dumping the stories as I remembered them. And then when I read them, I could see I could rewrite them in fiction as I would have loved to for the story to be told
Doing this, I think would somehow erase the past trauma memories and reinstate a happy ending so to speak, by writing with "precise, vivid, and imagistic—language that wakes us up and makes us feel something" and with "curiosity and play" , as we have no past or future, we only have the now and we can create this as we go
Jeannine, I am, as you say so well here, among you and your son for whom conversation leaves people feeling both "inspired and tired." I detest small talk and am a deep thinker and feeler (highly sensitive person).
I have printed off these gems, as I continue to refine my writerly voice.
May I add that writing is a way of healing, as well? I have a background in counseling/psychology, and I have read numerous books (if you want/need, I can look up specific references) about how neuroscience points to process journaling as a way for people to work through their feelings and find catharsis. I am not speaking, of course, of writing for publication. But I do consider process journaling to be a necessary form of pre-writing, in the sense that we gain clarity, insight, and often empowerment in this type of exercise.
I have often discovered a phrase, sentence, or paragraph from my stream-of-consciousness journaling that generalizes well for a universal audience. Then, I can shape a story or idea from that seed.
This type of writing is especially powerful for those in trauma recovery, as it accesses the left/right brain integration, and it is a simple, inexpensive way for anyone who can read and write to find and use their voice! So, in that way, I believe process journaling can break down some of the barriers of privilege.
I started re-reading The Book of Delights yesterday, and one thing I always notice about Ross Gay is that he seems so ALIVE and FREE—certainly not unencumbered by social convention, but so able to look directly at it, then maybe sigh and chuckle, and then eat a fig because it’s ripe and juicy and on a neighbor’s tree he just walked past, and then read a book about it, and write some notes in his notebook, then write a poem, and go to sleep, full—and it seems to me he is an embodied example of this list. Reading his writing, it certainly seems like he writes and lives all these things: language, story. attention, agency, curiosity, desire, etc…
Your points on agency and revision made me recall how much fun I had writing when after a heartbreak I decided to pour all my pain into writing, and play with the form. My friends wondered how I could feel elated when I was revisiting the painful past. I said, “yes, but this time I have AGENCY! I am crafting this story any way I want it to be!” What was incredible is how quickly my desperation turned into a creative joy. In the morning I felt like jumping out the window, in the afternoon I was dancing! I wrote for two months straight.
Pure gold!
Thank you, friend xo
thank you, that was both instructive and inspirational, a beautiful piece of writing to inspire beautiful writing
Thank you so much, Stephan!
What a treasure trove! This reads like a manifesto for both craft and the creative life and I have copied it in a Word document to return to again and again. Thank you, Jeannine.
Thank you, Amy!
You are speaking my language! Can I add back-story to extend your "dominant narratives?" There are the big and little traumas that are vital to providing the "why" for the flaws or struggles of our characters. This back-story is also what we can dig into as humans to inform and perhaps address the origins of our own "lies we believe." This helps us discover our "aligned desires."
Oh my gosh yes yes yes yes! Backstory! For all of these reasons (and more!). Thank you. Yes.
I feel this, and for me right now I’m noticing the hard side of this: when my life is hard (I appreciate you mentioned those of us facing things we don’t have much agency over) - when things are hard in life I also find my writing slows, doesn’t flow, gives me little joy etc. writing is still important to me but I’m not sure it is actually worth the time it takes. Because my writing when I’m depressed is just not great. I’m the opposite of those people who believe you need to suffer to create. Give me joy and I can be super creative! And rest. My writing improves with rest…
Rest is so so necessary. And I think when depressed, writing exercises that focus on playfulness and joy are key!
Wow—I literally wrote a post today about how much of I’m learning about how to write fiction intersects with what I’ve been learning about how to live. Love the synchronicity!
Beautiful xo
So much to chew on, reflect on, drink in — thank you as always Jeannine! As both a writer and editor I learn so much from you.
That means a lot to me, Debbie. It's just so uplifting to hear that, thank you so much!
Brilliant, I love this. Besides all the things you wrote, recently I saw an image on IG of neuron receptors creating new neurons (Kind of looked like tendrils reaching across to the neuroreceptor site) and I thought, So this is what is happening when I surprise myself while writing. My super power is curiosity and writing is a tool for exploration: my inner world, my reactions to the world around me, and how to connect them together. I know it saved my life and has spun magic in times of darkness.
Oh I love visualizing this! Thank you!
I love the image of neuron receptors creating new neurons, yes. That's it. Thanks for this new way of thinking about it, Wendy. Neuroplasticity of the brain. We are always becoming!
What a wonderful surprise today! Thank you so much. I love revisiting every word and idea of this and feel it even more keenly for all the writing we have been doing or anticipating doing in the months since you last shared it. I do love the revisiting of posts and the opportunity to experience them according to “where we are” now- such a wonderful embodiment of all we do here. Organic metaphor, indeed.
In the spirit of close reading and living in the words and language, I looked up the derivation of the word,” metaphor.” If you want to geek out with me, it adds another dimension to the wonderful purpose of this bountiful post.
The thing that jumped out at me was that some metaphors are considered “ dead” because they have just become part of our linguistic expression. The example they give is “ I see what you mean..” Juxtaposed with your Life metaphor, I find it interesting to consider the cycle of life not just for us as language based beings, the language we do, but also metaphors themselves. And that death, in this case, represents a total surrender and acceptance of a metaphor as integral to our connection through language. It becomes part of our linguistic DNA, our cells we’ll pass on to future generations. SCHOOL echoes in these hallways, because it’s all connected…
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20200710-the-words-that-stretch-how-we-think
Ha! I had to look up the word "derivation."
Ha! Welcome to the word worm hole!!
First, thank you for your love of archival posts. WITD is growing so fast. At this time last year, we had about 7K subscribers. Now, 15K. These old posts don't expire, you know? All these conversations are evergreen. So it feels right to pull one out at least once a week, and I didn't do that on Friday because of the open-mic Zoom link. I really make it a point not to post twice in a day, lol. Anyway. I love this bit about metaphor!! I have not thought of metaphors as "dead" in this way, you know, but it makes sense, it's almost like they concretize?
Wow! 15k?! You blink and you are a sensation!
And “ concretize,” like a habit. I am averse to anything that smacks of telling me how to break a bad habit or scold me for doing something “ wrong” so I thoroughly appreciate the way the new habit of observing and noticing and life-ing in this WITD way has crept up on me- concretizing in the sneakiest most wonderful way.. It is the way you teach and offer feedback, in that positive way, but it is also more than that. Like the “ doubling” we offer neurodiverse learners that is really companionship in the task at hand and modeling a way forward. A steady anchored raft in the waves we are simultaneously negotiating. Like life. Thanks for so much to chew on and the modeling. I submitted my piece from the reading, so thanks for the nudge support to move forward ! My goals for myself this year are happening organically thanks to WITD, and you. That is the only way I can sustain and “ concretize” things without abandoning them or getting in my own way.
And archival posts are indeed evergreen! I need to hear things many many many times to retain, remember, and to see in new ways. I listen to full albums on repeat for years until they become thoroughly mine. Rambling instead of grocery shopping- off I go into the trenches. See you Monday to write!💜
( that sounded flip— I know how much hard work it has taken to be a “ sensation”) incredible!! I am so thrilled your work is getting the recognition it deserves! Just glorious.
no no no no no it didn't sound flip!
❤️earnest souls typing on screens unite. Xoxo
Well, not a sensation, no. If I were a sensation, I could be like George Saunders or Suleika Jaoud. It's actually inexplicable that we have 15K people writing in the dark, but it's, you know, a teeny tiny little bit to the actual sensations. That said, for *me*, it's unimaginable multitudes!
Re bad habits, I am an Aries! I really really don't like being told that I am doing something wrong. So independent, so stubborn!
But this idea of doubling is what I am really interested in--I have not heard of it. It kind of sounds like parallel play, but with more intention. Which is very much how I feel about this space; with art, no one arrives. We're all paddling (to continue your raft metaphor), so I am here paddling away, with some kind of awareness, as best I can, of my stroke, I guess, and when I realize an awkward hitch in it, sharing that in case it helps anyone else, or if I break past an awkward hitch, sharing that, and how, or if I have a sudden epiphany while paddling, you get the drift. It's co-creating, I think.
Anyway, happy grocery gathering. We had 4 grandkids here overnight, so I am recovering!
!!!! 4! Wish I could deliver bread pudding stat. And parallel play! Yes. The doubling was new to me as well but it makes so much sense for everyone, really. Hope you have your feet up near a fire and next to Frannie! 💜