Writerly Play Kit: 008
Step Into Your Story
WP Kit 008
STEP INTO YOUR STORY
Often I’m asked, “What did you gain from grad school?”
My answer: “Grad school gave me words. Now I can wrap them around what I intuitively do. At grad school, I learned to name the invisible.”
At first, I thought I was referencing writing craft. I was grateful to have words to describe nuanced elements of storytelling such as narrative distance. Those words served as mental levers I could nudge up or down, intentionally pursuing specific effects. Naming the invisible allows our brains to “see” what it might otherwise only sense or feel.
Looking back, I realize that grad school helped me to name the invisible in a far deeper way. As I created my critical thesis–a play about the power of play in the creative process–I learned to frame my creative development in the language of story. When I spoke of naming the invisible, I also meant that I had learned to step into my own story in a more intentional way.
Since then, I’ve continued to find myself crashing through uncleared trails, stumbling into mud pits, and every now and then finding my way to a vista where I can see the vast beauty of the creative landscape we’re all traveling. Being intentional about stepping into my story doesn’t give me the power to control the external plot. However, seeing the storyline, and being able to name the plot twists and turns, gives meaning to the ups and downs. My viewpoint also allows me to weigh my decisions with more perspective. I’m not only a main character lost in the depths of my story. I’m also an author, experimenting with choices, considering the bigger picture, before I write the next scene.
Each Writerly Play Kit is designed to fuel creative momentum. In this issue, we’ll look specifically at how Writerly Play works, and how viewing your creative development as a story offers meaning, perspective, and more intentionality to your day-to-day choices.
follow your curiosity
HOW TO SAVOR A BOOK FLIGHT
One way to enjoy a book is to read it cover to cover. With fiction, we may tumble out of the real world and into the realm of story. With nonfiction, our intention may be to squeeze out every drop of insight from the pages. I’m all for deep-dive reading experiences. However, what if we also held space for an ongoing relationship with our books? What if, as with a dessert, wine, or cheese flight, we curated a selection of books? What might we taste, learn, or see by considering a few books in relation to one another?
Most months, I curate a Writerly Play Book Flight. I pull three or four intriguing titles off my shelves, and consider them in relation to one another. Sometimes these books will be your own old friends, and other times they may be new acquaintances. Either way, the goal of a book flight isn’t to fill up your TBR list, but rather to give you an intriguing taste of a range of ideas. I’ll leave you with a thought or question I’ve taken away from the curated selection, and leave it up to you to follow your own curiosity wherever it may lead you, too.
I’ve included a sample book flight below. Also, if you’d like to curate a flight of your own, you may enjoy using this template to document your thoughts.
A BOOK FLIGHT
LIVE YOUR EPIC STORY
In this book flight, savor three titles that invite you to see life’s ups and downs as part of what makes the story memorable and meaningful.
“Through stories we explain how things are, why they are, and our role and purpose. Stories are the building blocks of knowledge and the foundation of memory and learning.”
-Debbie Millman
peek through an alternate lens
STEP INTO YOUR STORY
& play your way THROUGH
Writerly Play allows you to personalize, map, and problem-solve your creative process. The invitation is to step into the story of your creative development and to play your way through. Creativity requires you to venture into uncharted territory. What if, instead of feeling like you were always in the messy middle, you could use story as a map?
