Timely observations, Grant. A few hours apart this week, you and Meghan O'Rourke published evaluations of "confessional" writing, Meghan's piece subtitled, "What much first-person writing gets wrong about intimacy, and how to revise your voice from confession to witness." You and your readers will probably also find her piece interesting. In my personal essays, the closer I get to clarity, the less I feel I am confessing and the more I think I may be getting closer to communicating some universally relevant point that others might even relate to, aka good writing instead of merely unburdening myself.
Oh, wow, thanks for letting me know about Meghan's piece. This topic is one of my ongoing obsessions. Can't wait to read it. I think you're right about communicating the universal and lifting the personal in that direction (rather than a pure spiral inward). Thanks again ...
I think that is the definition of the best confessional writing. To write to the questions. Writing to the questions offers those surprising revelations, as well as connections to the universal.
Memoir as “the selfie of the writing world”? This man obviously hasn’t seen the cover of my book! Memoir, when done well, is “the us-ie of the writing world.” IMHO.
Harkening back to the depression many of us experience, to be a writer is to be depressed. The act of writing what we imagine is beautiful hope that the sharing of it will create a community of our fellow dreamers. Maybe we do so create a community of writers and readers, so fine. But we must have patience between the writing and the sharing. Frustrating. Frustration leads to either depression or anger, If we write our dreams and hopes, what greater satisfaction when they come to pass. So, for example, my nonfiction book about getting to an outer space economy, is an activity I'm actually working on in physical life. The book, BTW, is The Space Trade Update. My volunteer work is with a forward-looking team at JP Aerospace.This makes writing less frustrating. Cheers!
Oh the joy of sharing past bad news of the close encounters of the kind one has finally escaped. Trying to be poetic. Dear father confessor, how do you know my sins? I only relate them to you in words. Can I please have you enter the chambers of my past? Are you operator of a device transporting you to my years of struggle in my past. Creepy word,
past, since confession is now. I feel a story brewing, like often when in comment or reply the favored muse doth strike upon the mellow guitar strings of my strife Write, write, dear writers, confess your soul's leavened disgrace.
How perfect: "... the favored muse doth strike upon the mellow guitar strings of my strife Write, write, dear writers, confess your soul's leavened disgrace."
Timely observations, Grant. A few hours apart this week, you and Meghan O'Rourke published evaluations of "confessional" writing, Meghan's piece subtitled, "What much first-person writing gets wrong about intimacy, and how to revise your voice from confession to witness." You and your readers will probably also find her piece interesting. In my personal essays, the closer I get to clarity, the less I feel I am confessing and the more I think I may be getting closer to communicating some universally relevant point that others might even relate to, aka good writing instead of merely unburdening myself.
https://open.substack.com/pub/meghanorourke/p/writing-the-self-the-hazards-of-confession?r=bvsgb&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Oh, wow, thanks for letting me know about Meghan's piece. This topic is one of my ongoing obsessions. Can't wait to read it. I think you're right about communicating the universal and lifting the personal in that direction (rather than a pure spiral inward). Thanks again ...
this is on point. and still, sometimes, the best confessional writing is when it becomes a revelation to ourselves.
I think that is the definition of the best confessional writing. To write to the questions. Writing to the questions offers those surprising revelations, as well as connections to the universal.
lifting the hood of (off?) the self. !!!
Haha, not sure if that's the correct metaphor ...
Memoir as “the selfie of the writing world”? This man obviously hasn’t seen the cover of my book! Memoir, when done well, is “the us-ie of the writing world.” IMHO.
Agreed. I love the idea of an "us-ie"!
Harkening back to the depression many of us experience, to be a writer is to be depressed. The act of writing what we imagine is beautiful hope that the sharing of it will create a community of our fellow dreamers. Maybe we do so create a community of writers and readers, so fine. But we must have patience between the writing and the sharing. Frustrating. Frustration leads to either depression or anger, If we write our dreams and hopes, what greater satisfaction when they come to pass. So, for example, my nonfiction book about getting to an outer space economy, is an activity I'm actually working on in physical life. The book, BTW, is The Space Trade Update. My volunteer work is with a forward-looking team at JP Aerospace.This makes writing less frustrating. Cheers!
Oh the joy of sharing past bad news of the close encounters of the kind one has finally escaped. Trying to be poetic. Dear father confessor, how do you know my sins? I only relate them to you in words. Can I please have you enter the chambers of my past? Are you operator of a device transporting you to my years of struggle in my past. Creepy word,
past, since confession is now. I feel a story brewing, like often when in comment or reply the favored muse doth strike upon the mellow guitar strings of my strife Write, write, dear writers, confess your soul's leavened disgrace.
How perfect: "... the favored muse doth strike upon the mellow guitar strings of my strife Write, write, dear writers, confess your soul's leavened disgrace."
"What is the cave you fear?" None that I can think of. Exposure? That's the whole point