Writing (should be) Transformational

We are all in need of transformation. We may use other words: to be reborn, to awaken, to obtain enlightenment.... to become one with the Tao or to harmonize one's will with Nature. Or to lose ourselves in the Oneness. To know who we are and to fulfill our purpose. 

We seek big experiences. 

And so do our readers. Our readers seek transformative experiences like a woman whose hair on fire seeks a pond. 

They seek answers to big questions, even when they are not aware of the question.

When our writing is transformational for us as we write, the reader will get a dynamic and life-changing experience too. I'm not talking fireworks. Transformation is a given when we allow ourselves to be vulnerable and courageous. Nature reflects this well in the transformation of an acorn to an oak tree, or a caterpillar to a butterfly. Or how a blade of grass pushes through the hard dark earth. Remarkable really. Everything relies on the transformative nature of reality. 

We are here to be transformed and to assist in each other's transformation. 

As writers all we really have to do is open ourselves up to what is possible. Bring ourselves to the page (or computer screen) and write what matters to us. Be vulnerable. Don't get caught up in trying to prove anything to ourselves or the reader. Let the emotions, the resistance, the epiphanies, the questions, and ideas spill out of us onto the page like honey from a rock.

Share what you got. First for yourself and then your readers. 

​I head off to my 5 days of writing retreat, solely dedicated to finishing this draft of my novel. Just giving myself this time is transformative. It's been awhile since I went on a solo writing retreat. As I shared last week, I hope to encounter the villain in my story. And I hope to have the transformative experience of finishing this book. My protagonist starts out not knowing her capacities and who she truly is -- surely this reflects my own metamorphosis and awakenings in life.  Who among us knows who we truly are? What we are truly capable of? As I write this book, my life is changed. And as I rework the story of the my characters, my inner and outer world transforms.

​My protagonist is a shape shifter.

And so am I.


SAVE THE DATE:  Free Writing Retreat on Monday August 19th outside of beautiful Blue Mounds, WI. More details to come.