Recently, I’ve been in the doubtful doldrums with my writing. Previously eloquent passages seem flat, and my light turn of phrase now turns my stomach. Happily, my wife bought me ‘Write It All Down’ by Cathy Rentzenbrink for my birthday. It was a lovely gift, made even lovelier by being just the right book at just the right time.
Cathy Rentzenbrink is a British memoirist, the author of ‘The Last Act Of Love’, the story of her brother’s accident and resulting brain injury. In ‘Write It All Down’, she offers advice and encouragement to others who want to follow in her footsteps and write their memoir. Although the advice is written with the budding memoirist in mind, it is broader than that. I’ve never thought of writing anything openly biographical, my work in progress is fiction, but I found a wealth of apposite advice, handy exercises, and new ways of looking at the writing world.
In some ways ‘Write It All Down’ is the mirror image of prescriptive writing manuals. Cathy doesn’t like those, stating that they make her feel sad. I disagree with her there, I like them and have found them extremely useful. But there is a time for the technicalities of ‘Save The Cat’, and a time for the inspiration of ‘Write It All Down’. I need them both. I need it all. I need everything.
Out of the everything. I’ll pick out two pieces from the many good ideas and kind reframing in Cathy’s book.
Morning Pages
Write down 500 words on any subject, without stopping, or correcting or editing. Write and don’t look back and do it every day.
I’ve started to do this, and it has worked. It’s loosened up my writing and when I move onto crafting blog posts or editing the work in progress it flows in. The mental pipes have been cleaned out, and the writerly brain muscle has been warmed up. Whatever has happened – it works.
This isn’t an original idea – I think it comes from the Artist’s Way, another book I want to read. No matter. ‘Write It Down’ is where I read it first and so I remain grateful.
You Don’t Have To Share It
Whatever I write, I don’t have to share it. Nobody needs to read it, not even me. I just need to write it and that is all – a liberating concept. It’s easy for me to be caught up in beta reads, author mentors, and dreams of publishing. If no-one ever reads anything I’ve written then it doesn’t matter. Writing is worthwhile, in and of itself. Once done, then everything else is optional.
Write like no-one is reading.
Writing and Kindness
For me, the theme of ‘Write It All Down’ is kindness. Kindness to yourself, kindness in your writing, and kindness to others in the same position. I’m at the stage of my own writing, when kindness is what I need; not fifteen story beats to follow, not a reaction scene to every action scene, not character arcs or hero’s journeys, but kindness. What I need is someone to reassure me that it’s OK to write, it’s good to write, and I’m allowed to write.
And would I write a memoir like Cathy Rentzenbrink? Up to a few days ago, I would have said definitely not – but now? Who knows: maybe, perhaps, possibly. After all, I don’t need to share it with anyone.
Photo by Unseen Studio on Unsplash
