Is Your Writing Constipated?
Considering we are in the middle of submission season, you might need to take some time to write those Artistic Statements. Or maybe you’re dealing with how to address those Developmental Opportunities. Writing about your self or your work is different from doing your work. This might seem like un-creative work, but it’s not! Brave Space is a great place to figure that out!
These days many of us are using our time in Brave Space to fill out applications. That might seem like dry, busy-work, but not if you’re a Brave Space writer! We know that the best applications come with a sense of our authentic selves in the essay answers. Instead of business-speak, most creative opps want to hear from our creative selves in our creative voices. Freewriting to find out what we really have to say is a great way to get started with whatever application you're filling out.
I’m not saying you should use a freewrite in/on your big important application. The freewriting mess you end up with is step one in a process. If you use freewriting in small bursts, you can generate enough fresh, alive language from your heart and soul. You will be able to edit this spillage to capture the hearts and minds of the judges.
Once you've generated the messy answer, you can pick and choose how to present yourself on the page. But at least you will have something real and fresh to revise.
It's up to you! You can choose to write word by word, straining for meaning and matter. I call this the Constipation Method. Little bits at a time. It’s hard. You’re probably dehydrated.
Or - after a tall glass of filtered water - you can choose the messier, faster, spilling out model of free writing! Yes, you'll get a lot of who-knows-what! But there's way more you can do with what spills out. You can't revise nothing!
If you've been taught not to write it til it's perfect, you're going to have to adjust those settings and learn to get comfortable with spillage and mess. Brave Space specializes in helping you do that. But once you adjust those settings, once you can enter the zone freely, the world is yours!
Onward, and happy submitting!
Emma