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as we stood below blue in the crisp air, she handed them to me one at a time. we talked about how i used to do the same thing with my grandmother. when we went inside, i put them in the tiniest vase i could find that rests on the windowsill above the sink.
later, as i looked at them while making a cup of tea, i kept thinking about how living fills the cracks missing creates.
How to Write: Climb the mountain, explore the plateau
When the rejection letters arrive in the mail;
When I don't know how to fix a clunky paragraph;
When my creative taste outstrips my creative ability;
When I've neglected my muse and can't hear a word she's whispering;
When writing feels more like walking alone under a hot desert sun without water instead of riding a flowing current down a beautiful river;
When I sit down to write, each time, every time, even now, and
I wonder: What if this is as good as I'll ever be? What if I never improve? Can I really learn to be a better writer?
I know that the answer is yes because I'm a dramatically better writer than I was ten, five, even two years ago.
About three years ago I underwent a rapid growth spurt as a writer. I made some important discoveries and connections, and -- dare I say it -- had some epiphanies about writing in general and about my writing in particular. I found a new writing voice and uncovered new material. I learned to read like a writer. I learned techniques that I'd never known before, and I learned how to name and talk about techniques that I'd previously only understood intuitively. (Having the language to name and explain something gives you a new level of mastery over it, especially when combined with an intuitive way of knowing.)
All of this happened when I was in grad school, which I'd entered to help me move past the writing plateau I'd been stuck on for a few years. I finished that leg of the journey eight months ago, and I've been standing on a new plateau ever since. The climb was exciting, exhilarating, and exhausting. In some ways, I'm glad for the rest, the time to look down the mountain and see how far I've come, to catch my breath and enjoy the view. Or rather, I'm trying to be glad for these things. Mostly I just keep running in circles, darting to and fro, fretting about when I get to star climbing again, because, dude: There is so much more mountain above me!
The writing plateaus make me twitchy. I get nervous. Insecurity and fear set in, accompanied by a frothy dollop of doubt. What if this is as good as I'll ever be? What if I never improve? Can I really learn to be a better writer?
We like progress. We like an upward trajectory. Climb the incline, rest at the plateau, and then keep climbing!
But what if there are other ways to grow?
What if I calmed down, looked around this plateau and discovered its true terrain? What if I embraced what I now know and simply practiced it again and again? Not all growth happens along a linear path. (Not much growth happens that way, methinks.)
What if I stopped running in circles and sat down in the middle of this flat place, took a deep breath, and watched the sky for awhile?
What if I wandered around with eyes ready to see tiny wildflowers peeking out from the glinting rockface?
What if I discovered a cave and decided to go spelunking, to really explore its depths, no matter how dark or strange it was?
What if I invited other writers (and wish-to-be writers) to join me on the journey? To climb the path that I once walked, to sit on the plateau with me, to smell the flowers, explore the depths, and to go on ahead?
** ** **
You -- and your writing -- are invited.
Come climb your own mountain, explore your own plateau, and discover your own wildflowers and caves. Join me for Alchemy: The Art & Craft of Writing, an online course designed to help you transform your writing and take it deeper and w i d e r than ever before. The next session runs April 2 - May 11.
The word "alchemy" means "a power or process of transforming something common into something special." Alchemy: The Art & Craft of Writing helps you transform something common (words) into something special (your essays, stories, poems, blog posts, etc.). Learn practical writing techniques to give your stories deeper meaning. Combine the nitty-gritty details with flights of fancy and watch your words sparkle and soar. Discover tips and practices to overcome your writing challenges. Be motivated, inspired, supported, and encouraged in a community of writers.
I created this course by collecting together the writing techniques, tips, practices, and inspiration that contributed to my big growth spurt. In it I share what I learned in grad school and from my nine years as a professional writer. I'm honored to have Liz as one of the featured guests in the course. Other guest spots include interviews with inspiring authors such as Brené Brown, Marianne Elliott (Zen Peacekeeper), and poet Susan Wooldridge. Learn more and register here. There's plenty of room on this mountain for all of us.
*****
Jenna McGuiggan is a writer, editor, and coach who works with creative souls and organizations with heart.
Visit her in The Word Cellar, which she envisions as a cozy, stone-walled chamber filled with twinkle lights, shelves of stories, nooks of books, and plush armchairs perfect for sharing your tale.
Kristin Noelle is a writer and an artist whose work illuminates trust as the antidote to all that ails us.
Find her at Trust Tending, where she blogs, draws, and listens deeply for the sake of trust-ward transformation. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, young kids, and 6 chickens.
*****
A note from Liz: This re-entry after retreats can be such a tender time as exhaustion walks hand and hand with love. After everyone leaves, my own loneliness sets in as I experience what I tell retreat participants they might experience: You come home forever changed but no one at home has had the same experience you have had...so they might not get it (even if they really want to). At each retreat this year, Kelly and I are giving retreat participants "self-care kits" to take home to help them with this re-entry phase. During the retreat, one of the Pen & Paper participants asked me about how I practice self-care during my own re-entry.
I didn't really have an answer.
Then I saw this piece of art Kristin created that is shared above. My heart felt like it literally expanded when I realized she had sent over a gift for me (for all of us really) in the form of a guest post. Looking at this, it is as though we sat in a cafe together and she peeked right inside me and then created this...but we've never actually met or even talked on the phone.
As I sit here in a mostly quiet house wearing my superpower mom cape over my owl pajamas while wishing for a nap, I am reflecting on all the truths and stories and creative play shared over the weekend and marveling at how these women found there way to a little cabin in the woods just because I said, "Wanna come?" And then I am looking at this gentle artwork Kristin has created, and I am simply struck at the exquisite beauty the internet can facilitate as it gives us a forum for the simple act of reaching out and saying, "Me too. Me too."
My self-care during this re-entry time is going to be creating an altar with this artwork as the backdrop. It will be an altar to wholeness and home.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
I am currently taking Andrea Scher's Elevate the Ordinary Superhero Photo class.
It is so good.
My number one reason for taking this class was that I knew I needed a little Andrea energy in my inbox a few days a week. Her writing deeply moves me and I appreciate the way she pairs fun and joy with truth and realness. Yes. So as February gave way to March and the rain rain rain would keep drip drip dripping around here, I knew this class would inspire me, and I anticipated that Andrea's words would speak right to where I am on my path. (I was right. So so good.)
When I signed up though, I knew that I wouldn't have much time for solo photography adventures, so my plan was (and continues to be) to tuck Andrea's tips and wisdom into my creative toolbox to pull out when I have more time. Still, I hoped and planned to get a few photo walks on my schedule and take Ellie with me on a few walks near our home and at Point Defiance Park.
However, the last few weeks unfolded differently than expected as our babysitter's schedule changed a bit due to sports and I found myself needing more rest than an adventure or two and on days when we could have gotten outside, the rain rain rain came down. Then, just when the weather turned warm and sunny and I was so hopeful that we would get out to the park or take a walk in the woods, Ellie's needs and "I am almost two" ways became such that we needed to stay home and dance out (or nap out) the grumps.
Last week as I sat on the floor with Ellie "playing" (one of her new favorite words), I looked at the blue sky through the window, and honestly, I began to pout in my head just a bit because I knew the day would not involve me heading out into that sun alone with my camera.
At some point in the midst of "What does the cow say?" and "Be gentle with Millie. Thank you," I remembered what I have so often told others to do when they say they don't have time for a photography date and thought about what Andrea would probably say to me: Just take 10 minutes and go on a photography adventure in your backyard.
Ellie and I bundled up and grabbed some snacks just like we were heading out to the park, and I gave myself the assignment of finding as many shades of green that I could see because, honestly, I knew this assignment would be easy on an almost Spring day here in the Pacific Northwest. Capturing the green might not be the easy part, but finding it would be. Sometimes the easy assignment is the way to go when you just need light.ness and fun more than anything else.
I almost always have my camera with me when we go outside, and we go outside almost every day...but I needed this shift to see it as an assignment of sorts to refill the well. Of course it is all in how you look at it, but the woman in toddlerland that I am most days needed this reframing.
Ellie sat contently in a chair snacking while I snapped away. And for those few minutes, I really was on a bit of a solo photography adventure. Then she joined me for some exploration of the different textures on the trunk of our maple tree.
And somewhere out in the backyard as I snapped these photos, I began to think about how Ellie Jane and I have quite a bit in common in the stages we are navigating in our worlds. She is in that toddler stage where her will and desire are greater than her abilities and understanding of the world. And in many ways, my desire to create and write and share is so much bigger than the time I have to actually do these things.
This afternoon, as I take a few hours to write and work on the to do list, I am giving myself this blessing that I plan to write on my bathroom mirror so I will see it each day: May I be as patient with myself as I am with her...
Recently, Grace, a kindred spirit who attended one of my retreats last year, sent me an email with the following questions: You wrote recently about a new dream project you are working on. So my question has to do with when you have in inkling of an idea, and the more you think about it, the more you are convinced it's something that must be brought to light, how then do you move your mind from dreaming and thinking to fleshing out and planning (especially when you haven't done anything like this before)? What is it that you are doing/saying to yourself to move into that space?
When thinking about her questions, I felt moved to share my response in a video. However, as I mention in the video, I recorded this as a really organic off the cuff not at all planned without any notes response to Grace's questions, which means the video is a bit long (about 18 minutes). You might just want to read the rest of the post below that includes the main points I made. In the video though, I do share about why I decided to begin to host and organize retreats and why I created Poem It Out when the idea tugged on me in just the last couple of weeks.
I don't always do things in the following order, but here are some of things I do to move an idea from the dream stage to the "do" stage.
6. I try to let go of the ideas that don't continue to really excite me (even if I think they might make money).
And as I look through this list above, if I had to sum all of this up in one phrase, I would say: I try to get out of my own way.
Thanks again for the questions Grace. I am excited to share some more on this subject and have tucked a few more ideas for future posts into the "blogging intentions" section of my creative wholeness journal. Stay tuned...
The idea for this ecourse grabbed hold of me last week and wouldn't let go. I am so delighted to be sharing it with you today!
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Poetry is a lifeline for me.
I think it could be one for you, too.
And I want to spend four weeks with you showing you why.
In this online course, we will explore the world of poetry from a place of wonder. We will look for poems that invite us to nod our heads and say, “Me too…me too.” We will face the blank page and say, “Bring it” and write the words that are ready to burst out of us. We will stop everything to Poem It Out.
DETAILS
Dates: April 2 – April 27
Where: The course will be hosted on a private blog and private Flickr group. Although the material will be presented over four weeks, participants are encouraged to work at their pace, and the course will stay up on the blog until May 31 to help facilitate this. The Flickr group will be available indefinitely for continued connection after the course ends.
Lessons: Juicy poetry goodness will be posted four times a week and will include topics like:
Supply list:
Updated: Registration for this session of Poem It Out is now closed. To learn more about current and upcoming sessions, head over here.
Please note that an FAQ with answers to some of the questions you might have is included on the Poem It Out page. Feel free to send over any additional questions to me via email.
