Daily Nourishment for July 16, 2024: Examining Our Writing Life with Guidance from Sophronia Scott
Daily Nourishment Read Time: 35 seconds
Pause/Prompt/Practice Time: 15 minutes
“Daddy didn’t know how to read, but I believe I’m a writer because of him. He was a storyteller. That’s how he seemed to communicate best, he was always telling stories and I noticed how people listened to him. He told stories about work, about women, about growing up in the south. Some of those stories influenced my novel Unforgivable Love. His voice is in my DNA so that’s not surprising.” - Sophfronia Scott
Pause.
Take a few deep breaths with a six-count inhale and a six-count exhale. Then close your eyes, and remember when and why you began to connect more intentionally with your creativity. For a couple of minutes, return to a specific place or time in your mind, if you can. Let your imagination fill in the blanks for your senses.
Prompt.
Read the excerpt below from an interview with Sophfronia Scott:
“When I write fiction it’s like I’m planting seeds. I have some sense of what I’m planting and in the writing process I see what grows and how it grows. I know, for example, that I must write a dialogue scene between two characters. So, I do that work knowing some of what they will say to each other but leaving room for surprises as well. All this discovery can take place within one writing session.
Nonfiction writing is like digging but I don’t know what I’m digging for and I don’t know what I’ll find. Sometimes what I find takes me in unplanned and often scary directions. That discovery takes time. An essay could take weeks, even months, and I have no way of knowing what that timeframe will be. I’ve learned to be patient with myself and to give myself as much space as possible to do the thinking and searching required for such work.”
Practice.
Set a timer for 10 minutes and journal or take notes in response to the Pause and Prompt above and/or the questions below.
Which people have influenced your current work and/or art? What memories do you have that are connected to these people?
Why do you write or do other creative work? When did you start? How has your creative expression changed you over the years? How is it changing you right now?
When does your creative work feel like planting seeds? When does it feel like digging?
How do you inhabit patience and waiting with regard to your writing or other creative work?
What are you tired of waiting for?
Want More?
Read the entire interview with Sophfronia Scott
Revisit the July 5 Daily Nourishment with Sophfronia Scott
Sophfronia Scott will lead a creative nonfiction workshop at this year’s Glen Workshop. During the month of July, Spiritual Direction for Writers® Daily Nourishment will feature Glen Workshop facilitators and other Glen-ish people, places, and things. Enjoy!
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Upcoming Workshops & Gatherings
—The July Co-Writing Schedule is live.
—July 13-18: $11 Summer Book Sale
—July 21-27: Charlotte Donlon will provide a few spiritual direction offerings at the Glen Workshop in Seattle
—July 27: Online Revision Stations Designed by Lauren F. Winner
—Save the Date: Spiritual Direction for Writers® + Enneagram for Creativity Gathering will take place on Saturday, September 28th. Recordings will be available if you can’t join us live. Speakers will be announced soon!
Today’s Daily Nourishment was provided by Charlotte Donlon.
*Please help us protect our intellectual property, our creative process, and the integrity of our work. Spiritual Direction for Writers® Daily Nourishment is covered under the Spiritual Direction for Writers® trademark. You are welcome to share this link with others, but any other use (written or spoken) is prohibited without written permission from Charlotte Donlon.