What is the point of writing something without feeling? Honestly, I’d say there’s no point at all. The feeling itself doesn’t matter. Happiness, fear, loathing, desire. You, the writer, have to have a feeling to share. No matter what. In a previous post I shared my favourite quote with you but here it is again:
No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.
Robert Frost
So how do we connect with a feeling? Well I think keeping a writer’s notebook is a really great start. In the process of noticing the world, you can also notice those feelings that pop up in you as and when they appear.
For example – if you saw someone throw their rubbish in the street and walk away (once you’d chased them down and belted them around the head with it), how would you feel?
What if you were really looking forward to a night out and your friend cancelled at the last second. How would you feel?
Or you picked your kids up from school and they ran towards you and threw their little arms around you and said ‘I love you’. How would you feel?
If you had your writer’s notebook handy you could capture all these feelings as they occur. What a fabulous opportunity.
Today I was driving towards my first day at a new job and I purposely made myself sit with the feeling of nervousness to really notice what it did to me physically and mentally. It made my stomach churn, I felt hungry but simultaneously nauseous at the thought of eating. I ran through endless scenarios – what if I couldn’t find a car park and was late? What if I couldn’t even find my destination? I made myself do some breathing exercises to try to balance myself. I talked to myself in an effort to calm down. As soon as I parked my car (because of course I found my destination) I wrote it all down.
Humans are constant balls of feelings which, happily, means we are constant balls of ideas. But we have to be alive to these moments and feelings and record them.
Here’s something I wrote a while ago when I felt that delicious pang of a new crush.
When you’re near
I’m not.
I’m away
where it’s just us
And that smile of yours
Is wrapped around mine
And those arms of yours
Wrapped around me
And these legs of mine
Wrapped around you
And we’re
so
close
now.
But far away
from all the noise.
My hand traces the curve of your arm
While your fingers slip down my cheek
to my neck
Tilt my head and
your smile wraps around mine.
When you’re near.
Perhaps you’ve felt something similar? That all consuming desire for someone. Write it down. It’s interesting to see where the feelings take your writing. Have a cup of tea if you need to simmer down 🙂 Until next time – keep feeling xx
Write Now With Tea 