Why, Resistance, Pushing Through to Stay, and a Prompt!
When I was writing my play FUKT (a memoir about the emergence of my traumatic memories), I didn’t have Brave Space. I wrote on the subway so I wouldn’t feel alone and afraid. I figured the darkness of the show couldn’t get to me if I wrote it in public. I thought if this difficult material has to come out, then let me find a safe way to let it out.
But as a trauma survivor who was still struggling with cPTSD, I didn’t really believe in the possibility of safety. Further along in my recovery, I think safety is more possible than ever before - even in this crazy world - but safety is not where I want to situate my writing. I like the idea of a brave space better. A brave space connotes risk-taking, and I want to go out on a limb when I’m writing. I want my work to touch on the subjects and details that many shy away from. I want to go beyond the usual. And that’s brave.
After writing FUKT mostly alone, I started to ask myself how I could support more people writing their stories. How could I have better supported myself? So I made Brave Space. Because the world needs more stories of survival. The world needs the words of marginalized voices. The world needs to know the truth about what it doesn’t want to acknowledge happens a lot to so many of us. None of us should have to feel alone.
Brave Space exists for the day when you can finally show up for it. Because when you do, it will start to shift how you see your work and yourself.
This past week, one of the writers in Brave Space told us all how she tricked herself into showing up in Brave Space. She told herself she would just come to work on some emails. But once she got here and read the warm-up in the prompt, she decided she'd just do a little bit of that first. And then the writing started to happen (because it does that in Brave Space). So then she had to decide to stay, and she did! And she wrote, and the time flew.
I am so pleased with this story because I'm always hoping you'll get sucked into the process, to the writing, to doing the work you need to do, and that you'll stay and go deeper. I love how she got herself to Brave Space, but I am even more thrilled that she stayed instead of shifting back to those emails.
This is the fight all day long for those of us writing full-time. And this is the fight to get started. This is the fight for anyone who is trying to make meaning in this very difficult and volatile world. Staying is hard. Pushing through resistance is hard. The world - and therefore our minds - are full of resistance. But as meaning-makers we must push past the resistance and show up, and then we must stay and do the work.
Pema Chodron says, “To stay with that shakiness — to stay with a broken heart, with a rumbling stomach, with the feelings of hopelessness and wanting to get revenge — that is the path of true awakening. Sticking with that uncertainty, getting the knack of relaxing in the midst of chaos, learning not to panic — this is the spiritual path.” This is also the way to get the words onto the pages, to stay with our judgment and uncertainty, to stay even if we don’t know what it will be yet. If you are a writer, or you’re dreaming of being a writer, come to Brave Space and learn to push through your resistance!
Try the warm-up prompt from last week: Warm-up with colors. Write for 5 minutes (or 10) without stopping, letting everything come up through you without censoring. You can begin with your favorite color - why is it your favorite and what does it remind you of? Did you used to have a different favorite and why did it change? What foods are this color? What experiences were this color? Or begin with how color makes you feel? Can you change your mood by changing colors? Can you change our relationship to concrete objects by assigning them specific colors? Can the colors of a setting make a mood? How does color work in your work? Consider the color of a scene - is it blue, red, green? How do your characters relate to colors? Are there different colors for each character? If you have a yellow character and a red character, how will they relate? What colors create more drama for you/your characters? Calming colors? Peaceful colors? Natural colors? Plastic colors? Assaultive colors? Who - which characters - have what kinds of responses to what in terms of color? History is often colored sepia in our memories or they could be vibrant or faded like old photos - what history exists in the work you are doing, and how are the tones of those colors different from the today tones in the writing? What does color bring forth? Where does color take you? Are there moments of meaning that color can highlight in your stories/scenes?
Sunday June 12th I'll be offering a new class via zoom from 7-9pm ET on Working with Your Inner Critic - please join me! (And let me know if you are planning on it!)
It's $20 for Brave Space people and $30 for newbies. If you struggle with your Inner Critic, this class is for you! And if you need a special rate, just let me know.
Artistic Statement Seminars (ASS Class) will be offered Thursday 630 - 930pm ET and also Thursday 6/23 1-4pm ET and Sunday 6/26 2-5pm ET with a sliding scale for Brave Space people starting at $50 (class is $75 for everyone else). And let me know if you want to take it for less. If you need to write an artistic statement, this class is for you!