Writing allows us to make sense of the world and our surroundings, process our emotions, and build a rich library of memories. Sometimes it’s a practical way of recording moments we don’t want to forget, and other times it’s a spiritual practice of becoming present with ourselves. The beauty of writing is—unless you have an editor to appease—there’s no “wrong” way to write.
If you allow yourself to leave “craft” to the side for a while, and only write with the expectation that you’ll get your thoughts onto the page, you’ll reap the myriad benefits.
In my recent article for Well + Good, I dove into the emotional, spiritual, and physicals benefits of a daily writing ritual. A vast body of research proves that writing for no other reason than to just write can improve our sleep, our memory and cognition, our self-confidence, and our connection to ourselves. Like meditation for the soul.
Dan MacCombie, LAC told me: “As a society, we don’t really [focus on] connecting to our inner lives, where our hopes and dreams come from. Writing connects us to what’s inside of us in a really powerful way...helping us process our feelings of vulnerability.”
In the article, I offer tips for cultivating your own writing ritual, including:
3 different types of writing for processing emotions and boosting creativity
Developing a writing ritual for any skill level or intention
Insights from a therapist about how writing can help process trauma and even improve the functioning of our nervous system
The beauty of ritualizing writing for your spirit, your body, and your relationship to self and others
You can read the full article here.
The Writing Ritual Recommends: A few people, books, and ideas that have been inspiring me recently.
Too Much of Life: the Complete Crônicas by Clarice Lispector, one of the most significant twentieth-century writers. The crônica, a literary genre peculiar to Latin American newspapers, allows writers to address a wide readership on any theme they like. The book features her collection of dispatches for the Jornal do Brasil published 1967 and 1977.
Jhumpa Lahiri everything. After seeing Lahiri speak at The New Yorker festival, I’ve been getting lost in the archives of her work. One of my favorite nonfiction essays “Teach Yourself Italian” explores her journey learning a new language, and eventually writing in a new language. Lahiri says she writes “To investigate the mystery of existence. To tolerate myself. To get closer to everything that is outside of me.”
Poet José Olivarez’s musings on what it means to be an immigrant in America today, as well as love, family, culture, class, race, home, and more. His work moves me again and again.
Drop-in classes at Brooklyn Poets in Brooklyn Heights. Fabulous workshops for those who want to try their hand at poetry in-person.
The Writing Ritual November, a 4-week creative writing program, is now open! We dive in on Monday, November 6th with workshops, daily prompts, and lessons on process and craft for new and seasoned writers alike. Learn more and sign up here!