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Okay. I confess. I committed the cardinal sin of blogging. I let my blog languish and fall into disuse. A lot of life happened during that gap. I moved halfway across the country. Again. I started a job, completed a bootcamp, started another job, and wrote a few things. I was busy.
Then the pandemic happened, and busyness became a coping mechanism.
Nope! Sorry. Can’t pay attention to the world today. I’m too busy!
Daring Greatly by Brene Brown
But, it wasn’t until I started re-listening to Brené Brown’s Daring Greatly that I realized I’ve let myself become disengaged. Big scary stuff was happening on top of smaller, more personal scary stuff and I let myself shut down. Let me tell you, being shut down is horrible for creativity. Nothing gets in and nothing gets out and next thing you know you’re in a big, black ball of nothing wondering how to get the hell out..
How do I re-engage? How do I get my spark back?
Hey, Shaw, remember that blog you abandoned?
So, here I am, daring sort of greatly. Back to write about the things that keep me engaged. Things I love, things that inspire and fuel my process. This blog is a tool, a living document of creativity. If others find something worthwhile, that’s great. If not, that’s okay too.
Let’s start with George Saunders’ A Swim in a Pond in the Rain.
The first story, Chekhov’s, “In the Cart,” and Saunders’ analysis of it was a transformative read for me. It led me to make several valuable changes on my WIP.
I haven’t read much of Chekhov’s material outside of his theater work—yes, I am a former theater brat—so this was completely new material for me. He is such a tight writer, and the story is very heavy. Dense. Until the end, that moment of beauty and pain, and then loss. At that point the prose opens up and we not only see it but experience it as well.
Even if Russian literature isn’t your thing, I recommend the book. Saunders’ analysis is nothing short of luminary. I even wrote out some of the key points on sticky notes and stuck to my work wall.
Inspiration:
Daring Greatly by Brené Brown
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders
