Friday, January 15, 2021

“Style, in writing . . . means becoming more and more present, settling deeper and deeper inside the layers of ourselves and then speaking, knowing what we write echoes all of us; all of who we are is backing our writing.” -Natalie Goldberg

It doesn’t happen easily to most writers that I know. We find it difficult to peal back our shields, expose our emotions to ourselves, layer by layer.

Why?

Because it hurts. It hurts to realize that we went through the struggles that we went through. …

Writing “style requires digesting your experience, whatever that experience is, so you may write about it.” -Natalie Goldberg

In discussing perspective with my communications students, I would draw a courtroom style visual of an accident between cars “A” and “B” and place witnesses in various places on the drawing.

The witnesses included

The driver of car “A” a senior citizen.

The driver of car “B” a new, teenage driver.

A high school student on her phone standing on one corner.

An electrical worker in a cherry picker changing a light in the parking lot.

A mother with an uncooperative toddler in a stroller on a corner. …

I am but ONE VOICE, but that voice that should NOT be SILENCED— should NOT be CENSORED.

My voice was molded by my parents and my parents’ parents who had morals and values, beliefs and opinions.

I am but ONE VOICE, but that voice that should NOT be SILENCED — should NOT be CENSORED.

My voice was educated not only by the system, but also by the people I’ve met and have yet to meet as well as the material I read and the media I watch.

I am but ONE VOICE, but that voice that should NOT be SILENCED — should NOT be CENSORED. …

In the late 1970’s, National College of Education molded young adults into kindergarten through ninth grade teachers. In those days, there were no state certification tests and no basic skills tests; instead, by progressing through your general education courses and your methods of teaching courses and the courses in your “concentration” (think math, social sciences, physical education, English), you became — upon graduation — certified to teach in the states of Illinois and Wisconsin.

Since most of the students I attended college with were planning to teach at the elementary level, one of our core education courses was in children’s literature. …

Self-reliance is definitely a personality strength, but uber-self-reliance could be the downfall in any kind of relationship. Your uber-self-reliance may have been the personality bonus that got you to the next level at your job or helped you survive difficult times; however, working together with your spouse, significant other, or even roommate is what makes relationships work.

Maybe you’re like me and grew up an only child. It wasn’t until college that I needed to learn how to share space and responsibility for that space. …

I want to begin today by asking you two questions.

Two soul-searching questions.

Do YOU have confidence in your abilities? Real confidence?

&

Are YOU tough enough?

“Being a writer is a whole way of life, a way of seeing, thinking, being.” -Natalie Goldberg

That’s the way writing is. It gets under your skin. It gets in your bones. It invades your sleep and your memories. It affects the way you observe life and create order out of those thoughts. It keeps you up at night.

Over the past few years, I’ve been fighting against this. I had a teaching life until I retired in 2014. Teaching came first and writing came second. …

The email box icon pops up showing one new piece of mail. “Maybe it is the acceptance letter I’ve been waiting for. Maybe AA Publishing is finally getting back to me about publishing my story.”

I move my cursor over the title “Regarding your submission” and hesitantly click.