Category: writing craft

Let’s talk about bad writing and Stephen King

bad writing

Hello all! Welcome back to this blog.

Let’s talk about writing… let’s talk about bad writing.

Writing is a skill. We learn the basics, we spend years practicing, we devote ourselves to the genre or outlet of our choosing (because there’s a difference between writing fiction, a blog post, or an essay), we keep at it until magic is made.

“At its most basic we are only discussing a learned skill, but do we not agree that sometimes the most basic skills can create things far beyond our expectations? We are talking about tools and carpentry, about words and style . . . but as we move along, you’d do well to remember that we are also talking about magic.” — Stephen King, “On Writing”

“On Writing” has been one of the books about the writing craft, that I always see mentioned, whenever there’s somebody writing about writing.

And Stephen King isn’t afraid to point out bad writing practices.

I have read this book a few years ago (in 2011, according to Goodreads), and it made an impression. Still, I haven’t reread it… or hadn’t until this post put me in the mood to go and find it. And to find it I did.

“I believe large numbers of people have at least some talent as writers and storytellers, and that those talents can be strengthened and sharpened. If I didn’t believe that, writing a book like this would be a waste of time.” — SK

About Talent and Practice:

Talent is overrated. If we just look for potential, we see it everywhere. But to have it materialize into actual value, there’s another matter entirely. And to develop writing skills is essential to be a fiction writer.

I recall the first time I understood the diference between Showing and Telling. I remember wanting to do a just Showing book. Yeah! People do have strange ideas when they come across something interesting. I still have that moment near to my heart. Why? Because in the next moment, I figured out that to do all Show and no Tell would do a disservice to the story.

I found that some formats gain from a prevalent Showing instead of Telling. And that in every work we need to have exposition as well as action.

Some of these things I learned only with practice. After understanding what it meant, and analysing what I was doing, and flipping the text around just to find out if there was a better way to write the tale.

To write that “the rain poured down, drenching his clothes.” or to write “In seconds, the dark skies were upon him, his clothes weighted a ton, and the cold clang to his skin, as the downpour hit him.”, gives us ideas on how to pull the reader in, and make him feel that he is right there with our character… getting outright rained upon.

As E.L. Doctorow said: good writing has to evoke a sensation in the reader – ‘not the fact that it is raining but the feeling of being rained upon.’

These are learned skills and still we need to let ourselves loose so we might find magic in it. Understanding the rules, learning the basics and attuning the skills we need to write, clears the fundamental space we need to make art happen.

The object isn’t to make art. It’s to be in that wonderful state which makes art inevitable. — Robert Henri

And this is not just in inspirational terms but also in craft basic skills.

About Fear and Bad Writing:

We fear to write what we know. So we choose not to write at all. We fear to write somethings, so we choose the most bland and uninteresting thing there is. We fear not to be good enough, so we end up quitting. We loose dept and strength when we let fear tell us what to do.

I’m convinced that fear is at the root of most bad writing. If one is writing for one’s own pleasure, that fear may be mild—timidity is the word I’ve used here. If, however, one is working under deadline—a school paper, a newspaper article, the SAT writing sample—that fear may be intense. — S.K. (p.127)

But when some sort of practice takes place, and we keep at it, there’s a sense that working through the fear is part of this process. There’s always fear when something is important enough.

But that’s why we have courage. 

Every time fear shows it’s face, courage comes right behind him and makes him fall back. At least that’s what is expected.

And it will do it every time. Not just a one time thing, but every time something makes us doubt and fear, courage has to step in and put fear in his place.

Just Writing:

Bad writing is fearful behaviour. To choose this word or that word, overly preoccupied and attentive to what might sound like, and be like, and having other people’s rules in mind all the while we are trying to construct something… it’s tiresome and not a good process to have at all.

Good writing is often about letting go of fear and affectation. Affectation itself, beginning with the need to define some sorts of writing as “good” and other sorts as “bad,” is fearful behavior. Good writing is also about making good choices when it comes to picking the tools you plan to work with. — S.K. (p.128)

To write as good as we are able, means to choose our toolbox (Stephen King’s concept) with intention and knowledge. To have a discernment about what goes inside our writing craft toolbox so we are able to build with using the good tools we have been collecting.

Bad writing might be just unexperienced writer. And a competent writer might be an uninspired one. But a good writer? That takes talent, practice, a good toolbox and some extraordinary instincts… and life experience.

I can’t let this one out. Life experience is what shines through in the mist of our works. The things we experienced, the things we lived through, the knowing in our bones what it’s like to be there, to feel it. It’s the school of life experience that keeps a writer going and gives dept to his work.

As Georgia O’Keeffe wrote, in one of her letters:

I feel that a real living form is the result of the individual’s effort to create the living thing out of the adventure of his spirit into the unknown — where it has experienced something — felt something — it has not understood — and from that experience comes the desire to make the unknown — known. (…) Making your unknown known is the important thing — and keeping the unknown always beyond you (…) that you must always keep working to grasp (..) — Georgia O’Keeffe

We live, we read, we write. A lot. Of all three. 

∞

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Bye and Keep Writing! ✍🏼

Find inspiration of different sorts and build a creative identity

find inspiration

Hello all! Welcome back to this blog.

Let’s talk about writing… and about using different sources of inspiration to better ourselves and our writings.

Why do we need to inspire ourselves to create? Why do we find that our artistic output to be a blueprint of who we are?

We write what we know.

Yes, I know this idea has become so commonplace that it is seen as just a cliché without any worth to it. It is cliché, if we do not understand what it means, and do not make an effort to recognise what it stands for in our work. It is a cliché if we just throw it around, without fully grasp what it means, and how we need to use it.

But that it’s not how I perceive it to be.

Write what you know stands for: To recognise what make us ourselves, and to see it in our creative work.

And these are two difficult things to do. To know our ways, to build upon them, and to see all of it in what we create.

Ultimately, I believe that we will not be able hide who we are in any creative output. So, it is indeed revealing.

And not just to know others… But this is a different theme, that you can read more about in the post Know Thy Human.

When we practice painting, for example, we put in the hours of work until our style is recognisable. Until we, ourselves, and our identifiable style comes through our work. We choose to create/reproduce images in a way that is familiar to us, and that ends up representing our personal style.

Some painters bodies of work are gloomy, others are colourful, others are free style, or nature inspired, some are impressionists, others are modern, and so on…

It is the same process for us writers.

We start writing something, in whatever means, genre, or format, and as we put in the hours, our style becomes more and more defined. We start perfecting it, even if we do not have a sense that we are doing this betterment process. And, some time later (10 000 hours later?!) we get a sense that our output has changed, our way to deal with subjects has changed, our style has evolved. We have abandoned some things, and took upon us to enlighten ourselves in others.

If we keep at it, eventually our style will be recognisable to the people that read our work.

While we are at our practicing periods, we end up feeling that we need inspiration from other people’s works. So, we go in search of it.

This process of looking for, contemplating, learning and appreciating, other works — paintings, conversations, views, sculptures, books, and all sorts of activities that get inside ourselves, — begins. And then, its revelations come forward through our writings.

To each one of us, some mediums will be more appealing than others. Some ideas resonate more than others. Some mediums might be more suitable than others.

Some will love poetry more, while others find that listening to nature sounds are more suitable for their creative processes.

For example, I have been enjoying a documentary on YouTube that I suggest you to a look: Anselm Kiefer: Remembering the Future

I always find myself attracted to big, dark, dystopian works. Maybe, because I usually find myself engrossed in heavy feelings, whichever the means they are presented in. I appreciate the subtleties of how different people respond to personal history, and how it influences their creative process.

But, to look for ‘knowing more‘ shouldn’t be a chore.  

Most of this research isn’t consciously chosen.

We follow things that make sense to us. Things that makes us crave more knowledge, that we feel passionate, and just need to know more about.

We do not think, let’s go and look at some paintings, or some documentary, and maybe I will feel inspired to write. No! We might expose ourselves deliberately to a work of art, but how it interacts with our creative processes is something beyond the cognitively perception that we will be influenced by it.

And this is why we gain in exposing our minds to new experiences. And not just the good, happy stuff. All the bad and gritty things we will look upon, will come bearing fruits. There’s a most likely chance that the less obvious thing, will not be overlooked. It will not be discarded, even if we do not like it, because it will build upon on some point, that we will find suitable to make in our works. We will use the knowledge, to prove or disprove it. It will become our own.

As we live, we will learn to recognise more of what influences us. And we will learn to find explanations, so very different from what we thought they would be, and to discover other ways of living through other people’s art. And, ultimately we end up incorporating and using knowledge, that we didn’t even knew we consciously had gained. And our work will be better for it.

Our writings will be better at each instalment of novelty. At each knew discovery of something we love, as well as of something we hate.

If we see more of whatever it is that we find appealing, or repellent in this world, we will surely have it seep into our works. That’s why artists always navigate toward a specific worldview, which comes through in their works of art.

People who have seen war, fighting and death, will be more inclined to use those themes in their works. People who fancy a more nature inclined living, will make art using that. People who are dumbstruck by people’s extreme acts, will try to make sense of it all, and so on…

Finding different sources of inspiration, helps us know more about what encircles us and about ourselves, and therefore, define our style in a more personal way.

Let’s open up to ways to invite novelties to us. Let’s accept hardship and struggle. Let’s invite knowledge in, so we may get it all out of ourselves through our creative work.

∞

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Bye and Keep Writing! ✍🏼

Books on the Writing Craft and other matters at hand

books about writing

Hello all! Welcome back to this blog.

Let’s talk about writing… and reading towards our writing practice.

On this article, you’ll find some ideas about formal studies, the need to keep learning, and the books that I’ve included on my learning practice about the writing craft.

Yes, I made a list with all my 5 star reads on the writing craft. Enjoy!

And tell me more… What have you read? What are you reading? Recommend some books to me?

So… About formal studies

Formal studies teach us to read, focusing on goals. School gets us the reading practice oriented to themes, and learnings that we need, in order to perform… mostly to perform in tests, but if we have writerly aspirations, it gives backbone to our efforts.

Later, and as we exit the formal education system, all we bring with us are the systems taught, while learning the official programs.

And many of us, also bring an intense dislike by obligatory readings.

Out of school and into self-learning…

Out of school, no more learnings? No. Self-learning is part of the writing (and living) craft.

To make use of a more formal approach to learning, even if we are out of school for good, can make the diference we need, in order to write better.

After all, if we are not in the formal circles is a lot more difficult to be exposed to the basics, because it’s what school give us: the basics.

At this time, we have licence to go and study by ourselves whatever we want to learn.

Of course, that Learning is hard. Not just while in the formal teaching institution, but also by ourselves. We tend to be lenient towards what we have to do, and want to do. It takes a lot of discipline to really live the scholastic life, when we frankly don’t have to.

So we struggle.

Best versions of ourselves are hard to grasp

Trying to find things that motivate us to learn more about, or read more about, and failing on maintaining that energy is the usual cup of tea.

Also, having the means to do it (time, money, will…) is usually a hard combo to achieve. Means are usually scarce, and it’s hard to get our hands in the best version of the knowledge, we need to have access to.

And it’s just better not to bother. It’s easiest not to do it. Or to pretend to do it, and just give an half-ass efforts into it… And then we end up more hurt by trying it half way, instead of going all in.

Because we fail to see the reward, we put moderated efforts and get frustrated when things just don’t pan out as we wish. We want it all, but fail to give it our all.

A clue…

Set some order on learning efforts. Have a more organised approach to subjects and just do the time on the work. Read the book, do the training, have the workshop, write the text…

And, in the midst of setting my own learning practices, I give you the most important learning resources I have come accross in the past fifteen years.

So… I give you some books about the writing craft, that have made a difference on this learning journey. Just the 5 stars reads that were useful and fun.

Books on Writing

“Revision & Self-Editing” by James Scott Bell

About the most important aspects of writing and the impact of revisional work and self-editing our writings.

“Turning Pro” by Steven Pressfield

A motivational book identifying a force known as Resistance, and how it impacts our creative efforts.

“Letters to a Young Poet” by Rainer Maria Rilke

Some well thought advices, from a most beloved poet and letter writer, that guide us through the sacrifices that the work demands from us.

“Turning Home” by Susanna Tamaro

Reflections about living a writerly life and how her personal experiences shaped her, her longings, and her fictional writing.

“A Room of One’s Own” by Virginia Woolf

Getting to know the irony that shaped this women, in her writing acknowledgements and achievements, is a priceless lesson, humorously put.

“Word by Word” by Anne Lamott

Invaluable lessons on the most common (and abstract) problems about writing and living a writer’s life. A guide to our more common feelings towards the writing predicaments.

“Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear” by Elizabeth Gilbert

Stop romanticising the hardships of the creative life. Accept the mystical of the creation act and find happiness in writing.

“Escrita em Dia” by Margarida Fonseca Santos

Useful exercises on the writing craft, helping unblock ourselves, and finding rhythms in our creative practices.

“Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t: Why That Is And What You Can Do About It” by Steven Pressfield

A non-nonsense way of looking to readers realities. We might as well face it and learn to do better to captivate people’s attention.

“Zen in the Art of Writing: Releasing the Creative Genius Within You” by Ray Bradbury

Inspiration and the celebration of the writing life.

“The Art of War for Writers: Fiction Writing Strategies, Tactics, and Exercises” by James Scott Bell

Strategies and thoughts on writing, through the lenses of the first manual written on war by Sun Tzu.

“The Artist’s Way: A Course in Discovering and Recovering Your Creative Self” Julia Cameron

Unstuck yourself with this 12 weeks course on how to create and be creative. Find out the easiest way to accept that we are all creatives at heart.

“Bird by Bird” by Anne Lamott

Writer’s themes are dealt with with humour and simplicity. A precious help on the more usual predicaments about the writing life. And it’s good for the non-writer’s as well.

“The Faith of a Writer” by Joyce Carol Oates

What a writer believes, and writes about, and how an honest take on the writerly issues can help us cope with this life.

“Why I Write” by George Orwell

A short essay on his motives for writing, so similar to our own, and interesting to compare to.

“Quem disser o contrário é porque tem razão” Mário de Carvalho

A Portuguese author’s take on the writing life, and writerly themes, setting the tone with: there are no absolute truths, just opinions on subjects and actions we take.

“How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines” by Thomas C. Foster

A funny, well versed, intelligent professor gives us the written version of his usual classes on Literature. With the so well put knowledge, we learn to see beyond the works and criticism on literary works.

“On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft” by Stephen King

A glimpse into his thoughts on the writing craft throughout the years, and his multiple experiences with being the struggling, and the successful writer.

“Writing Fiction for Dummies” by Randy Ingermanson and Peter Economy 

The nuts and bolts of writing through some studied methods. This is a how to book, worth the immense time it takes to read and apprehend it fully.

There are others, but not 5 stars reviews, so I’ve kept them out of this list. These are my most precious and inspiring book on the writing craft.

Reading and self-learning efforts…

This year I have a reread already lined up, and a new book on the craft.

The reread will be “How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines” by Thomas C. Foster. I just got the paperback copy and want to read it in this format.

The new book is “The Elements of Style” by William Strunk, which I hope to get to soon.

Meanwhile,

I discovered some 4 stars right here on my shelf, that I feel have been neglected. I have read them, but I feel the need to reread and see what I missed on the first time, that made me give them a 4 star rating. These are:

“Ernest Hemingway on Writing”, edited by Larry W. Phillips

Some quotes and curated excerpts of Hemingway’s works related to the writing craft and his practices.

“How Fiction Works” by James Wood

A literary essay on criticism, literary artefacts and craft tricks writers use to deliver their messages.

“The Art of Fiction” by David Lodge

Prose for the newspaper readers, as he gathers a topic from a well-known novel and uses his literary experience to enlighten and delight the common reader.

I feel all of these need a second turn on my reading radar.

Getting Back to the basics…

I have wanted to be exposed to the basics, and I’m working through some kind of writing bibliography, in tandem with reading fiction.

But I feel I need to have a more dedicated study practice. And this is something to chew on for a while… Set some guidelines and do the work. I’ll let you know how this goes on future blog posts. 

See you next week! And, meanwhile you may checkout my social media and subscribe to this blog.

∞

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Would you like to know anything about me? Please leave a question below and I’ll reply asap.

Bye and Keep Writing! ✍🏼

Did you say 50 000 words and 3 books?

writing the shapeshifters

Hello all! Welcome back to this blog… Let’s talk about writing.

November came and went, and so did NaNoWriMo. You know, the challenge where we corner ourselves into writing 50 000 words in one month, and then get pretty upset when that shit doesn’t happen.

This year, I came up half short on the word count — 25 400, was the tally at Nov.30th.

But there’s no problem AT ALL.

The previous book took two NaNoWriMo’s to get to it’s “final” form, so I’m kind of used to taking a really long time in completing a writing project.

I’m currently working on my second novel for The Shapeshifters World. First book took three years in the making and it’s pretty much done. Just a bit of fiddling after the third book is complete, so that I can erase the unforeseens. Yes, I am a detail tweaking maniac, but I intent to produce the best book I can, so… to tweak it is.

At this point in time the status of the situation is:

The Shapeshifters #1 (which has a secret book title only to disclose if I’ll manage to publish) is complete and I’m very happy to have finish it. Truth be told, I did not imagined it could be such a arduous ride. And it is subject to final tweaks, as previously mentioned.

The Shapeshifters #2 (also book title is a secret) is on the way, almost halfway written, on his zero draft. It has diverted from the initial idea plot wise, but these characters have been talking to me… And I will listen! We should listen to our work (tip for future me) before it starts talking in batshit mode and get us stuck on a “and now what?!” type of conundrum.

The Shapeshifters #3 is also growing. Initial plots and plans have altered, and grew a bit, as it should. But this one is a future me problem, so… onward.

So, this is the plan, for now: just keep going.

To be able to write this story has been something very powerful. Time, effort, skills, learning… it all enters the pot before something (a book) can come out of it. I have been playing with some fears, some stories, some happenings, and it’s one hell of a ride home.

To find my Home in my Writing, and make it my Work, is a magical force, made of all the on goings, the smooth, the tempests, the it is what it is moments.

And it’s all worth it.

∞

What have you been writing? Tell me everything in the comments section below!

∞

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Bye and Keep Writing! ✍🏼

Own your shit

own your shit

Hello all! Welcome back to this blog.

I’m a huge fan of J.R. Ward’s writing. There. I’ve said it, again and again.

I’m a fan. And not because of the steamy scenes. Even though I like those. They were kind of a slap in the face back in the day.

I’m an enthusiast of her so distinctive writer’s voice. She’s a badass writer. The work shows it and the fans know it.

I have been an admirer for more than a decade, since her “Dark Lover” first came out. I have induced others to read her work, and it didn’t disappoint. I know men that read Ward’s work. And I find her writing-craft-personality very masculine.

And now?! In this moment of my life?

Now, I’m a huge fan of J.R.Ward’s as a person-writer… to the extent of what I can perceive about her (which I may say it is not much on the personal side, but enough in the writer’s one).

I did not pay much attention to her online presence over the years. I don’t remember her to be that present there.

I usually don’t go down the rabbit hole for most writer’s that I know. Too much time to waste in that. If I’m am intrigued by something, or I admire their work and want to know more about them, I’ll go investigate their website or blog, or buy some kind of Memoir or Letters written.

The rest? The YouTube and social media stuff? I figure that, it’s just stuff to occupy idly the time I have. So I try to avoid that.

Quaint detail about J.R. Ward: her looks kind of surprised me.

It was not what I was expecting. And, at first, I couldn’t wrap my head around how a vanilla-like-lady could write so many cuss words, hard-core relations and witty remarks. The lesson’s on me.

Her works had been a constant in my life, since I first bought the first book.

I collect the Portuguese editions every time-o-money I can. Also, I buy the English originals every time a book truly speaks to me.

Because I am all in for an original.

The Black Dagger Brotherhood had been a constant, but also the Jessica Bird’s books and The Fallen Angels. I have still The Bourbon Kings saga to pick up… and now there’s a new pet project of Ward’s, in a more Dark Academia theme, which I’m putting in my tbr.

Then Ward got herself a YouTube channel. It has two videos, and two shorts, in a bit of insight into herself and her life.

The simplicity, and fun in them got me wandering if I had been missing something online about her work and her author’s mindset and routines. Did I ever…

It has been a while since I searched for anything online about this author so this came as a surprise: There are basically two types of content about J.R.Ward on YouTube: fan made videos about books and characters AND J.R.Ward’s interviews and public events.

First, were the usual stuff being filtered through magnifying glass search. The fan videos are fun. And that’s it.

The second type of content out in the virtual world consists of interviews and public events. And…

She sure can draw a crowd in. Entertain it too.

In these, we get to know a bit about the writer behind the successful writing. Commercial success, as she puts it. But I figure it’s a Writing success with no bullshit about it.

I have been listening attentively to her answers. She’s big on giving insight to her listeners. And not just about her routines and creative process.

No. If we listen carefully, we find an inspiring kind of justifiable obsession with writing. A true, not emphasized by wanting to sell books on the craft business side of things, genuine life experience on devoting herself to writing.

Writers Write and that’s it, isn’t it? And she puts it as it is.

All the career stuff, and public relations stuff, and fame stuff is an expensive accessory that entangles an author in a too-self-important trip… instead of writing.

All they have to do, their first and foremost activity, is Writing.

All we have to do for our Writing is Write.

And own our shit frankly.

She has a big kind of speech in this video that culminates in:

So drop your emotions at the door, pull in your big girl pants, and if wanna do that, than you fucking own that shit. – J.R.Ward in Unabridged: J.R. Ward @LFPL @LFPL_Foundation @JRWard1

It’s a good, inspiring piece of knowledge. Of Writer’s professional knowledge.

Maybe we should all own out shit. Just saying… I know we suffer more when we don’t.

In all that Insta wisdom’ness look for Mel Robbins full post (find it here…)

hard stuff

All things we avoid become breaking point harder.

Let’s not avoid writing… or own our weird shit. There’s no easy way to go about it. Just

Own your wants and dreams. Own your shit, not your bullshit.

***

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Bye and Keep writing! ✍🏼

 

we are what we believe we are & to be of service

we are

Hello all! Welcome back to this blog.

Wondering about what means to be a writer seems to be part of this thing that I have chosen to be.

We choose and we become that which we have chosen. Even if it seems a dream. Even if it doesn’t seems feasible. Even if it’s so damn hard to do.

But the Truth is, if we choose to do it, an put in the actions to have it, we are it.

This argument is part of a few books. Works about the writing craft, books by those who struggled in the pursuit of this work, even philosophical, and religious spokespersons believe firmly in this idea: We are what we believe ourselves to be.

It took me a while to understand it.

After all, we are told that, it is through outside validation of our work, through making money with it, that we believe ourselves to be validated in our choices.

But should it be? Are we what we believe we are?

Is it not by doing the work itself that we become professionals? Is it not by writing that we become writers?

Is it not that by writing, I become a writer? That I am what I believe myself to be? 

This is a rationalisation that I find myself drawn to, for the good and the bad parts of it.

Good because we feel that we are something, and feel proud by being it, getting ourselves more motivated to pursue it.

It’s kind of fulfilling our dream without actually having the solid proofs to back it up, but building the structural base as we go along.

Bad because, if we are not willing to put the work in, we end up convincing ourselves that we have already achieved it, we are already writers, and we want what is due to us… without actually becoming the thing that we want to be. Without actually Writing and learn to write.

Quoting from the already mentioned poet  Jacqueline Suskin:

“What it means to be a writer in this day and age?”

Jacqueline answers this for herself with the following words:

“My job is to be in service as a writer, and my specific outlet is this kind of accessibility, this thing that I can write for anyone. I can write a poem for any type of person.” – in The Poem Store: A Life Changer | Jacqueline Suskin | TEDxSouthPasadenaHigh 

It’s not without great effort that we try to find our own answer to this question. Specially if we consider all the writing-for-hire and AI-knock-off’s out there.

I know I keep searching for my particular answers.

What does it mean to me to be of service? What does it mean to be a writer? What can I consider Writing?

I do write loads of blog posts. Are they, in due legitimacy, Writing? – is one of my most asked questions.

This reminded me of…

I have served. I will be of service.

in John Wick: Chapter 3 Parabellum

… and it’s kind of like that, isn’t it?!

We have served by writing. We will continue to be of service by writing. We might find other venues that support our writing efforts. We might teach, perform, add other means to one’s end. But we will be contributing through Writing.

Each one of us have to find our own answer to what means to be of service to mankind.

What means to be of service to people? What means to contribute to this big, huge, world of ours?

And how our own experience will provide something for others to discover their own questions and answer them.

For me, it’s being here, writing my way through books, articles, poems, short-stories, videos, notes, journalling and all that brings this activity alive.

For me, it’s to provide entertainment, to pass inspiration along, to connect and feel connected, to share my journey and hope it will be useful for other’s pursuit.

To be of service is to serve our passions. So that, through them, we may be here for someone else. We may be here, and let them know that they are not alone.

We believe so we can serve, and that is what has some chance to make a difference in this weird world. 

***

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Bye and Keep writing! ✍🏼

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References: 

Write in Awe

write in awe

Hello all! Welcome back to this blog.

A few years ago I took a short online training called Every Day is a Poem, with Jacqueline Suskin (on Commune).

You may say ‘I don’t write poetry‘ or ‘why poetry matters when writing fiction?‘. Or not. If you write, you have a sense of musicality, or lack thereof, about the words you use.

But let me tell you, that first lesson of Every Day is a Poem, truly stuck with me.

It was called ‘Be in Awe of Everything‘. And it was a wake-up call to recognise all the awe inspiring things that surround us.

An invitation to find reverence in daily life, as an inspiration to express ourselves through poetry.

meaning of awe

I have found this lesson very useful not just for poetry practice but for all types of writings. The subject of this lesson never seemed to slip my mind entirely.

And not just because I frequently catch myself wandering through Aweness on the most unexpected situations (i’m the weird adult that, in a social gathering, keeps staring at the ceiling because she saw something interesting there), but because I find it a sound advice in any creative writing practice.

A small example of awe: check the huge thistle on the church roof? It’s half the size of the artichoke statue! It is blurry because it was very windy…

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São Bartolomeu do Beato Parochial Church

It was not supposed to be there, after all the church is remodelled and in full use, but Life always find it’s way around obstacles, doesn’t she?!

[Yes, Life is a She, a Mother, a Creator of all sorts… just saying.]

Awe is what I aim for when I write for this blog. To inspire through awe, and get it on the page, and through to you.

I find that when we write with feeling, from the depts of our convictions, from the heart, we access to a part of ourselves that can be kind of lyrical, and truthful, and inspirational to ourselves and others.

When we let feelings flow through words, and scenes, and characters, we get a noticeable emotional experience. A powerful one, if done in awe.

It’s not about telling people that these characters are in love, it’s showing them what their love looks like, in a recognisable and inspiringly way. It’s to produce emotional imagery that readers can relate with.

To convey powerful feelings like these, we need to access to that part of ourselves that sees the awe in it. That recognises the feeling. That knows what Love may look like. That can envision the world shattering power of feelings.

And that’s what this process is all about: write to inspire, to enlighten, to soothe, to support, to help, to just be there when the words are needed.

The same goes for fiction, and for non-fiction also. Both aim to bring something more to the lives of the one’s who read the words.

Fiction moves through emotion and subtext.

Non-fiction lives in the realm of possibilities and inspiration.

To construct we need to have understanding of what is, and non-fiction serves this purpose. Its job is to convey awe in dealing with more down to earth subjects.

But to be in awe, in such a cynical world, and to write in awe are not simple tasks.

Sometimes, it takes all we have just to get through a few sentences. And other times, it just doesn’t come to us at all.

We keep getting to that point when we feel empty, bare of all awe induced mindset, uninspired.

Letting go of what is, the pain, the daily stress, the pressure, to find that feeling of reverential respect, of dazzle, can be a hard task.

And exterior inspiration can only take us so far.

To find within ourselves our will to create is to find awe in what is, and in what we are, and in what we desire to put forth in this world.

It’s to find our rituals, our creative processes, all the things that nurture an awe mindset. And to find this is adamant to be well, feel well, and create awe inspiring work, whatever that work might be.

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Here’s a suggestions of a creative writing exercise for your practice: Awe Narrative

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Bye and Keep writing! ✍🏼

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