Daily Nourishment for June 12, 2024: Which Stories Have Been Omitted?
Daily Nourishment Read Time: 40 seconds
Pause/Prompt/Practice Time: 15 minutes
“Craft is the history of which kind of stories have typically held power—and for whom—so it also is the history of which stories have typically been omitted.” - Matthew Salesses, Craft in the Real World
Pause.
Set a timer for two minutes, close your eyes, and rest.
Prompt.
Here’s more from Matthew Salesses: “Craft is the history of which kind of stories have typically held power—and for whom—so it also is the history of which stories have typically been omitted. That we have certain expectations for what a story is or should include means we also have certain expectations for what a story isn’t or shouldn’t include. Any story relies on negative space, and a tradition relies on the negative space of history. The ability for a reader to fill in white space relies on that reader having seen what could be there. Some readers are asked to stay always, only, in the negative. To wield craft responsibly is to take responsibility for absence.”
Practice.
Set a timer for 12 minutes and begin completing the writing exercise below from Craft in the Real World:
In five minutes, write as many sentences as you can that follow this format: If s/h/t hadn’t __________, __________ wouldn’t have ___________.
(For example: “If she hadn’t tried to cross the road, her boyfriend’s car wouldn’t have flipped over.”)
Expand one of the sentences into a paragraph, including a full set of actions and character(s). Expand the paragraph into a scene.
Want More?
Read Craft in the Real World: Rethinking Fiction Writing and Workshopping by Matthew Salesses
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Upcoming Workshops & Gatherings
—The June Co-Writing Schedule is live.
—Become a Member by June 15, Get Co-Writing Free through July 31
If you want to write more and nourish yourself so you can have the writing life you want while enjoying the summer months, the Spiritual Direction for Writers Membership is a great support and resource. Anyone who becomes a new Spiritual Direction for Writers Member between now and June 15th will receive FREE unlimited SDW Co-Writing Sessions through the end of July. (Even if you cancel your membership after June.)
*All existing SDW Members will receive free unlimited SDW Co-Writing Sessions through the end of July. Members who already have a year of Co-Writing will receive a bonus 30-minute checkin 1:1 Spiritual Direction session during June or July.
—A Gift for All New SDW Members
I have several copies of 1000 Words: A Writer’s Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round by Jami Attenberg for my Thoughtful Books Etc. bookshop because this book is fantastic. All new SDW Members who join between now and June 15th will receive a copy of this book in addition to everything above. (This book offer is only available for residents of the contiguous US.)
Today’s Daily Nourishment was provided by Charlotte Donlon.
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