When I think about the Joan Didion quote, “I don’t know what I think until I write it down,” I think about keeping a journal. To me, this quote embodies everything that journaling should do: reveal what’s going on below the surface. It’s scratching at the inner life, not just writing a log of daily activities (though that can be a part of it). Keeping a journal is asking hard questions, probing for answers, letting your messy thoughts run free on the page. In your journal, you can be your …
writing
3 Simple Strategies for Writing a Book
My number one goal this year has been to build a writing habit. Last year, I spent too much time thinking about writing and not actually doing it. I scribbled in my journal every day, but when it came to crafting sentences and stories, I spent too many months not doing the work. I’ve always wanted a writing life. When I was younger and someone asked me what I wanted to do with my life, I said I wanted to be a poet and a painter. I also wanted to live by the sea. I’ll admit my perspective …
Discernment in Using Your Voice: February Recap
For being such a short month, it seems like February should have flown by. I feel like I should look up surprised that March is here and wonder where the time went. Instead, each week of February felt like a month unto itself. The weeks felt disconnected and I got to the point where all I could do was ride it out. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, only that my expectations for the month (if I really had any, honestly) were nothing like what happened. Nothing. The theme for the Literary …
How Our Voices Connect Us: February
If you’re a writer, developing your voice is an important part of your craft. It’s a process. It takes time to cultivate it, and the only way you do is through writing. The more you write, the more your voice emerges. The general writing advice around voice includes: How to find your voiceHow to use your voiceBe clear in your writingInfuse your writing with your personalityYou should sound like you It seems obvious: our voices should be clear, strong. We don’t want to sound weak or …
How to Measure Happiness: January Recap
I don’t think I’m a very happy person naturally. It’s not a word I’d use to describe myself, and I’m always surprised when someone uses that word to describe me. I think it goes back to my Christian upbringing, which placed a higher premium on contentedness and joy than happiness. Happiness was fleeting, but joy could endure. I wonder now, as an adult and still a believer, if that’s true. Can we feel other emotions and still be happy? Can we feel the darkness and still be filled with joy? …