Revisiting old themes and creating new ones
Curiosity and Discovery: Found this forest spirit on a walk in the Stephenson Nature Preserve. Don’t know the creator so can’t credit them! This little being was gone the next day. Curiouser and curiouser.
This coming Tuesday, I’ll announce the membership theme for the coming 2024-25 year, and ooooh, it’s a good one. In the meantime I’m looking back at both the themes of Let’s Go For It and Abundance from the past two membership years and reflecting on how those sit with my process at the moment.
In terms of the former, well—I’ve certainly gone for a lot of things in the past few years, and most of them I didn’t get. This is the way with taking risks and reaching far (and something that successful influencers are less likely to advertise, right, unless it’s about failure leading to multi-million dollar success three days post-fail)?
What I’m trying to do right now, and where I’m finding abundance, is remaining curious about what the process teaches me. This requires a lot of pausing and wondering when I would prefer to forge ahead, (I’ve got some friends thinking of tangential themes, as you’ll notice from author Rebekah Manley’s latest post). I am happiest when I have lots of projects on at once. When one project doesn’t work out, it can feel like a void.
Ah, but it’s the void that allows you to pause and be curious!
The most abundant curiosity for me is often found in the natural/wild world. Sometimes that includes people-made things you find in the wild, like this tiny, soft forest spirit perched in the nook of a juniper tree. Sometimes it’s a hawk with a rodent clutched in its jaws. Sometimes it’s a vine teeming with butterflies. Sometimes it’s a waxing moon that’s barely a sliver. Sometimes it’s a weird sound that might be a bird, but also might not? Sometimes it’s the way an owl’s wings make zero noise, and when it sails above you, it’s like a ghost.
Let’s explore what it means for characters to be curious.
In my current horror WIP, I have a character who literally says to herself Curiosity killed the girl before she takes a step closer to something very weird and upsetting. There is a range to curiosity. Stereotypically curious characters like the Nancy Drews of the literary universe are always seeking answers. All the librarians in my life, including my mom, are incredibly curious people. And then there are the characters who sit and ponder when other folks tell them to “get going already”, when really there is so much wisdom and abundance in sitting still.
For the below prompts, you can consider a character in your WIP whom you know to be curious, OR you can dream up someone brand new.
Sometimes engaging with our own curiosity and wonder is as simple as stopping to look up.
Guided Writing: When Characters Pause
Quick recommendation: Take your time arriving. Grab a beverage. Thank yourself for carving out the creative space. Take 1-2-3 deep breaths.
Describe a character—from your WIP or someone brand new—who is inherently curious. What do they look like and how do they dress—what textures and colors ? What are the mannerisms that set them apart—do they speak/listen/move a certain way? Take 7 minutes to jot down as much rich detail as you can about how this character lives, moves, and speaks.
Now describe this character in a moment of stillness and pondering. When they are observing something or working something out, how does their body change? How does their clothing swirl/cover/protect/shift? How do they speak or not speak? Take another 6-7 minutes to describe this character in a moment of intense curiosity.
Consider another character/figure/voice reflecting on your curious character’s desire to ponder. What do they do or say when the curious character is deep in observation? Do they admire this quality or tell this character to hurry up? How do they feel watching another character ponder/wonder/be still? Write for 11-12 minutes, or as much time as you have left. You may write a scene here. Or a poem. It’s up to you.
Okay. Take a deep breath. Look at the last word you wrote. What is it? Sit with that word for a moment.
Bonus: Glance back at your own work and circle/highlight/underline your favorite phrase.
Take a breath. Take another one for good measure. Thank yourself for taking this time.
longing for a supportive convo on writing & rejection? join me and special guest megan clark on august 6.