Write A Way: Journey to Creativity
By Sandra Lee Schubert
Listen with your earth and sky, moon and stars.
Listen with your whole universe.
~ Sandra Lee Schubert
The Writing Life: A Closet Writer's Ink Well
On my desk sits a box. Inside is a bottle of ink, paper and a glass pen. My friend crafted
the box for my birthday. All the items inside were handmade including the glass pen.
Also on my desk is a book of poetry given by another friend. On the cover are an inkwell
and a quill pen. These are not unique images of writing implements. It was not that
long ago when fountain pens were the norm. When you wrote you got ink on your
fingers and blotches on your paper. Learning to write was an art in itself. I can imagine
Shakespeare or Emily Dickinson at their desk with quill in hand pondering their next
word as ink drips onto the paper. It is a somewhat idealized image but it gives me
some pleasure.
Stephen King's book,
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft,
(2000) is good representation of one writer's life. I like King's quirkiness, his dry sense of
humor and the determination that has made him one of the most prolific writers of our times.
Better yet he lets you inside his head and allows you to discover the writers life and his
particular creative process. He gives clear examples from his own experience that
becomes the inspiration for so many of his stories.
I wrote from the beginning. I wrote with my dolls, paper, paste and my food.
I wrote with my laughter and tears before I could shape a sentence on paper.
~ Sandra Lee Schubert
As a child I wrote a family newsletter. I would produce just one copy at a time for my
mother and sister that never left the house for wider circulation. In college, I
rediscovered my love for words. I preferred to write poetry but did write for my
college newspaper and regional papers. I have read many books on writing and
have been an active member of writing groups. I have even created one such group.
Despite all that I didn't consider myself writer. I was someone who wrote. There is
a difference. My inner dialogue had me compare myself to all the other wonderful
writers in the world, the prolific, the brilliant and the well paid. I fell short of them
all. How do you get to Carnegie Hall? I had the brilliant notion that the only way
to become a good writer was to write. I may not have called myself a writer but I
had been living the life of one. The value of hanging out with other writers was
bearing witness to their story telling. I too had a story to tell. It was out of that
cumulative experience and witnessing to other stories that I was able to create the
course,
Writing for Life: Creating a Story of Your Own.
That course has led me to share my experience and my story with you.
Creation is a better means of self-expression than possession; it is through creating,
not possessing, that life is revealed.
~ Vida D. Scudder, author and translator
What about you? Are you a closet writer?
If so, I invite you to step out into the world with your creations. The life of writer does
not have to be a lonely one. Share your love of words with other lovers. Join a writing
group. If you feel a little shy about sharing your work publicly then investigate some
online groups. You can search for writing groups or just other writers. Visit a couple
and see if the tone is supportive. What kind of feedback do they give? Is it
constructive or mean spirited? If you like what you see online then dare to venture
forth and submit a piece or two. You can always leave a group.
The point is to immerse into the life of a writer - share, support and talk to people who
live daily with their craft. A writer gets to incorporate all their senses into the act of
writing. Listen to the conversations around you. Observe. Smell. Feel. Write. Let
your whole body become involved in creation. Absorb it all.
This Month's Creative Writing Prompts & Suggestions:
Write. Write again. Write one more time. Each day write 50 words. Pick a topic or not.
Observe - what do you see? Touch - what are the sensations? Listen - hear a piece of
conversation and then write a story about it. You can write more but not less. Write
with a friend. Go to the park and write for ten minutes and then go play. Write waiting
on line. Just write. Don't think about it too much and don't worry about editing it. This
is not your great novel. You are laying tracks, building the foundation, and developing
the sense that writing is something you can do.
Hang out with some other creative types. What is wonderful about hanging out with
other artists is that it fuels your own imagination. A photographer can teach you how
to see, a musician how to hear. Ask them about their creative process. Act like an artist.
When someone asks what you do, say in a loud clear voice, "I am a
writer."
Read books like King's; pick up Ray Bradbury's book,
Zen in the Art of Writing,
or
One Writer's Beginnings,
by Eudora
Welty. These books are great sources for observing how a writer takes from life and
recreates stories.
Wherever you are in life honor your journey. Create your environment to support your
creative self. Surround yourself with people and things that feed your muse. Share your
work with others and you may find that you are a happier and more satisfied person.
Discover the brilliant, talented and wonderful person you are.
~*~ PRAYER ~*~
Thank you for my talent. I am grateful to share it with others.
Thank you for the talents of others
Thank you for the gifts I receive everyday.
Some Additional Writing Resources:
Authoring Tools
By Sandra Schubert
In creating a foundation of writing for life, there are many books, websites and authoring
tools available to support your efforts. I share a comprehensive list for you to investigate
in the
Writing for Life: Creating a Story of Your Own
course.
Yahoo Group Directory
Some groups are open to the public and others are not. You can create your own group
and invite your friends if you don't find something you like.
The Wild Angels Poets and Writers group was founded five years ago. We run 3 six week
series a year, produced an anthology and a reading every year. We are also sponsoring
a workshop the 1st of May 2004. This group is available only in New York City. If interested,
contact me through my Web site
www.wildwomanministries.org.
Sandra Schubert is the creator and instructor for the Self-Healing Expressions
e-course
Writing for Life: Creating a Story of Your Own.
To learn more about Sandra and her course, click here:
Copyright © 2004 Sandra Lee Schubert. All rights reserved. If you are interested
in publishing this article, please email
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