back to basics

I stalk writers and writing teachers. I read widely, I go to writing retreats and I read books on writing. I look for strategies on how to make my own writing dynamic, develop a practice and go for the heat. But these days, I think more about teaching. I watch writers like a hawk, ready to dive down from the thermals, grab an idea in my beak and swoop back to my nest to feed my young.

I want to know how to give a boost to the people who sign up to work with me: to give them a new way of thinking about things, a new perspective, a jolt of enthusiasm. The fact that my "students" show up means they want to write, love to write and are looking for the structure, the inspiration to go deeper. They want to tap into wild dreams of memoir, howling nature writing and the power that lies just beneath the surface of every day life; caged and pacing and wanting a voice.

Julia Cameron is the author of The Artist's Way. I have studied with her and of course read her books. She tells us to do "morning pages." Three pages in long hand in your notebook every morning as soon as you wake up. The subconscious is still accessible. The day is new, the mind is searching for an outlet. Write it down. Simple idea, but it is up to you to actually do it. Make it a practice. The photo above is proof. I have begun the practice of writing three pages every morning.

So it is back to basics for me. Reading the work of others is useful but in the end, I want to develop my own voice. Be clear on my message to those who gather around a table on a Tuesday morning ready to pour their hearts out onto the page. I figure out what I think by seeing what I write. I am often surprised by what has been lurking in the recesses of my mind. Ideas are called out when the hand is moving across the page of my notebook.