While writing my memoir and blog posts, sentences and metaphors that contain wisdom don’t come easily. In my imagination, when Joan Halifax, author of the book* I mentioned last week sits down to write, beautiful sentences flow from her pen onto the page.
Taking words from your inside and putting them out on paper is difficult, a fact that continues to surprise me. How do others make it look so easy? How can it take so long? I would bet that writing for Halifax isn’t quite as easy as I image. The truth probably is that her impressive sentences are the result of hard work and persistence, the first item on my manifesto.
Here’s a sentence of hers that impressed me:
“And sometimes, I could not find my composure; it got away from me, like a tide quickly receding from the shore of the present moment, and I found myself worn out and discouraged.”
I would rather not say what happens when I lose my composure. If you were a mouse in the corner (that possibility scares me for many reasons), you might notice me stomping around the room like a two year old. You might hear me blaming whoever or whatever is in my way. You might witness a nasty word as it darts out of my mouth.
Who do you admire? What aspirations do they bring out in you? When do you lose your composure? What do you do when you lose your composure?
I’d love to hear from you. I’m working on making it possible to hit reply to this email to comment so it will be sent to me but so far my tech person hasn’t been successful. When it says no reply when you reply to this email, it means no reply – I never see it. I don’t know where it goes – a mystery to explore.
So the geniuses among us can leave comments on the blog itself. Another option is to let me know what you think by using my email address: nicola.mendenhall@gmail.com. Or just think of me and send energy and inspiration.
CLUE: If there is a person who inspires you for any reason, find a way to let them know this week. A short email or phone call might make their day. I may try and email Joan Halifax!
Thanks for exploring the mystery – Nicky Mendenhall
*Standing At The Edge (2018) by Joan Halifax
4 comments
Much like you, I love to read and often marvel at the creative writing. I say to myself, if I could only write one sentence of that caliber that I would be tickled to death. Let alone a whole book. I wonder if some of that is from the publisher because the descriptive language is similar in many books. The other similarity is how the author reminds you of details in the plot as you read.
Oh so good to hear from you again! You were one of the genius people who figured out how to post comments! Good job!
Does the publisher influence the beauty of sentences? I don't know for sure but I know that my book coach is having a good effect on my writing. I think maybe editors have a big influence too.
I'm fascinated with your idea that the author reminds you of details in the plot. I'd love to know more what you are meaning if you feel up to it.
Thanks for reading and commenting!
It seems to me that whenever I am reading a book, that when some detail isn’t clear, that the past reference is brought up again. Movies and TV shows do the same thing. It’s like they realize we have short attention spans and don’t want us to lose interest or find the plot too difficult to understand.
Interesting Nolan. I'll have to watch for that. Can't quite picture what you are indicating yet.I'm thinking that this means whoever produces the entertainment is dumbing it down for us? Is that what you are implying?
I watched a Netflix The Young Dr. Freud the other night. It was so confusing to me – there was a person sort of observing and speaking about what was occurring but it wasn't clear to me who it was and the sequence of time jumped around. I watched it to get a clear sense of what were the causes and conditions that led Freud to develop psychoanalysis. If I hadn't been so committed to my quest, I would have lost interest.
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