To those like me getting back into the practice of writing, are you searching for something inspiring? Are you looking for a connection to why you began writing in the first place or why writing is what you want to do when you grow up but you are grown up with a job, a family with kids, and no time to yourself? What is writing anymore? I decided to read books about writing and become a curator of sorts to inspire other writers like myself. I am just starting to read a book titled, Writing Down the Bones: Feeling the Writer Within (2005), by Natalie Goldberg. Sounds inspiring. Just in the middle of the preface, I already found different ways to look at writing. Let’s jump right into what caught my heart as a writer.
1. “Writing is egalitarian; it cuts across geographic, class, gender, and racial lines”
Of course I had to look up the meaning of egalitarian. It had something to do with people being equal, having equal rights and opportunities. In other words, writing is for all regardless of where we live, how much money or status we have, our gender, our race. Writing is an action that anyone can do. Frankly, it is a human impulse. We all tell stories.
2. “…we all have a dream of telling our stories- of realizing what we think, feel, and see before we die.”
Natalie Goldberg talks about getting slow and dumb. This is her way of saying slow down and “see how everything connects, how you contact your thoughts and lay them down on paper.” Just like we can observe something like a hummingbird going from flower to flower and create that sensory experience for a reader through our writing on paper, we can express our internal world for the reader and for ourselves. Our lives are a sensory experience. The beautiful thing about writing is that it spans across time. A reader in the future can read the expression of the writer’s experience and feel that perspective that was once felt in the past. That concept blows my mind.
3. “Writing is a path to meet ourselves and become intimate.”
What does this mean to you? I always say that there is more than one way to meet your goals. There are several ways to enlightenment. No matter how many detours someone takes, the end is inevitable. Writing can be a pathway. I see writing being a technique used to get into the present moment. In fact, I often turn to writing when I am at a crossroads, mad about something, need to process something, or simply feel mentally unwell. Writing allows me to be intimate with my source, the strong thing within myself, the thing that helps me feel the answers I need. Writing allows me to engage in the dust and then once on paper, I can dismiss it away and see the clarity and certainty of my life.
4.“Writing is a uniquely human activity.”
Isn’t that the truth? I have never seen animals or plants do it. The act of writing works with our type of consciousness. It is just one tool we use to navigate the human experience from basic communication to the expression of the human experience.
5. “Writing can give you confidence, and can train you to wake up.”
I am a firm believer that the more someone writes, the better writer that person becomes. I like to work in the AWA method when facilitating writing groups. AWA stands for Amherst Writers & Artists. AWA believes that “every person is a writer, and every writer deserves a safe environment in which to experiment, learn, and develop craft, (2024).” I stand behind AWA’s 5 philosophies:
- Everyone has a strong, unique voice.
- Everyone is born with creative genius.
- Writing as an art form belongs to all people, regardless of economic class or educational level.
- The teaching of craft can be done without damage to a writer’s original voice or artistic self-esteem.
- A writer is someone who writes.
I have seen the positive impact a writing group that has been facilitated in the AWA method has made on people. Not only is their craft in writing getting stronger by just simply writing and being around others who write, but it is a space for reflection and healing as a story is being written and shared, a time of awakening for the writer and the listener.
So there are a lot of ways to know writing. Writing is a tool for us in our human experience. May you all write, use writing, and perceive writing any way you wish. Please follow me as I unfold my own writer’s journey. Keep a look out for all that is coming from WAY2WRITING at way2writing.com.
Amherst Writers & Artists (2024, June). AWA Method: Philosophy and Practices. Retrieved from https://amherstwriters.org/what-to-expect/philosophy-practices/
Goldberg, Natalie. (2005). Writing Down the Bones: Feeling the Writer Within. Shambhala Publications, Inc.
