Bringing Attention, Playfulness, and Surprise to Your Writing, featuring Jeannine Ouellette
Dec 2, 2024
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Jeannine Ouellette, author of the lyric memoir "The Part That Burns" and the popular Substack "Writing in the Dark," shares her insights on enhancing the writing experience. She stresses the importance of attention, playfulness, and surprise in storytelling. Ouellette encourages writers to embrace spontaneity, grounding their narratives in vivid details to create deeper connections. The discussion also covers how community engagement through platforms like Substack can elevate a writer's journey while fostering a playful and transformative creative process.
Playfulness in writing encourages risk-taking and exploration, allowing creatives to access deeper insights and enrich their work.
Cultivating attention to external details transforms mundane experiences into profound narratives, grounding stories in relatable and organic truths.
Deep dives
Embracing Playfulness in Writing
Playfulness is identified as a crucial aspect of adult creativity that is often suppressed by societal expectations. A strong emphasis is placed on the necessity for adults to rekindle a sense of curiosity and joy in their creative processes. Engaging in playful writing activities allows writers to take risks and explore new ideas without the fear of judgment or failure. By integrating play into their writing routines, writers can access deeper insights and unexpected discoveries that enrich their work.
The Power of Attention and Exteriority
Attention, particularly to the external world, is highlighted as a vital element in effective writing. By focusing on outward observations, writers can ground their narratives in relatable details that lead to profound understanding without overt explanation. This practice encourages writers to observe their surroundings meticulously, transforming mundane experiences into rich narratives filled with organic metaphors. Recognizing the significance of exterior details helps bridge the gap between personal experience and shared human truths.
Exploring Curiosity and Unknowing in Writing
Writers are encouraged to cultivate curiosity by embracing the unknown in their craft, moving away from reliance on preconceived notions and certainties. The process of writing is portrayed as an adventurous journey where discovery supersedes the need for control. This perspective fosters an atmosphere of exploration and wonder, allowing for more authentic storytelling. By acknowledging that our understanding is often limited, writers can open themselves up to new possibilities and dimensions in their narratives.
Building Community through Engagement
Engaging with others in the writing community is emphasized as a powerful means of enriching one’s creative experience on platforms like Substack. Active participation, whether through feedback or discussions, helps forge deeper connections and fosters a sense of belonging. Writers are encouraged to step outside their comfort zones to contribute to the shared experiences of others, ultimately enhancing their own growth. This interactive approach can transform a passive reading experience into an enriching communal journey.
This week guest Jeannine Ouellette returns to Write-minded to share some specific teachings and practical tips for writers who want to better curb their own impulses to tell and/or to overwrite. This episode is a little more craft-focused than we normally do, and there’s no better person than Jeannine to showcase actionable ideas and student case studies. If you don’t already subscribe to her Substack, Writing in the Dark, get on her list asap—and this week’s Substackin’ highlights a recent post we loved that’s on point for the themes of this week’s show: From Playful to Profound, which you can read in its entirety here.