Radical Noticing*: Discovering the Metaphor
Photo by Chase Clark on Unsplash
Hi friends,
As of this writing, I have over 3,500 subscribers to this newsletter! I am so grateful for your interest and enthusiasm for these monthly missives on the form nearest and dearest to my heart. Thank you!
It’s an absolutely stunning day here in Colorado and I am making a conscious effort to spend less time online to really enjoy days like this. Maybe like me you are a little addicted to the feast of information the internet lays before us 24/7? I can’t get enough of it. I gobble information like a crazed locust in a wheat field, skimming, clicking, consuming, moving on. But I have found spending even a little bit of time outdoors each day without phone or laptop, just allowing myself to daydream, has done wonders for my creativity and well-being.
Today, I’d like to address the idea of honoring what you’re drawn to and allowing it to serve you creatively.
On the first day of a recent retreat I was running with Nancy Stohlman, I gave the participants an “assignment” to walk around our lodge and outdoor spaces and just “notice” things. Shadowcliff Lodge is a lovely, rustic place with lots of quirky art, photographs, musical instruments, and outdoors of course all the natural beauty of Colorado. I told them not to overthink the task, only to walk around in an open and receptive frame of mind and take photos of the things that captured their attention.
We are drawn to things, people, places, etc. for a reason. They “speak” to us on some level. I truly believe there is some underlying significance there worthy of further examination.
The second part of the assignment was to choose one of the things they noticed and write about it. Describe it. Ask it questions. Give it a history and a backstory. And as always, allow the writing to go where it led them. If the object evoked a memory, they were to go ahead and write about that, too.
The next day, I had them read their pieces to the group, asking speaker and listeners alike to find the metaphors in the work. To listen for what felt symbolic, what seemed to hold metaphorical significance. Often times the simple act of describing something sets our meaning-making brains to work.
A writer who very intentionally works with metaphor is Marilynne Robinson (author of Housekeeping and Gilead). She said in an interview once that she actually collects images and metaphors in her day-to-day life. She jots them down on index cards and refers back to them to inspire and enrich her writing.
Look to your own writing. Especially if you’ve ever pulled together a collection of stories, you likely discovered some repeated images, objects, or actions. I believe these hold the same significance as dreams. Pay attention to what keeps coming up and examine those further. Radically notice your own inherent obsessions.
Our brains love to notice and create symbols and patterns. They are an integral part of our storytelling. Metaphor lends depth and beauty and significance to our stories.
Your Prompt
Do as I described above. Radically notice something in your environment and write about it. Allow whatever emerges, mindful of the inherent significance of those things we’re naturally drawn to. If you can get away from home for a while, so much the better, but you can radically notice even an object on your writing desk, in your junk drawer, or in your garden. What seems to beg further investigation? What delights you? I spotted a huge katydid on a fence post yesterday. A few days ago I “radically noticed” someone I knew in the background of an old photograph who…should not have been there. I wrote a flash fiction about it. To me the idea of suddenly “seeing” someone in the background is hugely metaphorical.
Recommended Reading
I was given the huge honor of choosing this year’s Wigleaf Top 50. I highly recommend every story on the list and those from the long list as well. This list is a fabulous free resource for teachers, readers, and writers. While you’re at it, read everything Wigleaf publishes. It’s one of the best flash fiction journals out there.
Before You Go…
Yesterday's 3 in 90 Live Generative session was SO lively and fun, with amazing new stories drafted & shared! Thanks to all who took part! These 90 minute live sessions will have you writing to prompts aimed at breaking through writing blocks and innovating in the flash form. Fun and fast paced! Expect to leave the session with three new flash drafts of surprising depth and beauty.I have THREE more coming up in Nov., Dec., & Jan. if you'd like to join us! Get more info and register below: https://fastflashworkshops.com/WebSeminarRegistration
If you’re interested in Nancy Stohlman’s amazing writing retreats, get more information and sign up for early access HERE. We’ll be heading back to France, Iceland, and Shadowcliff Lodge in Colorado in 2023 and registration opens soon!
(*I was so pleased with myself for coming up with the term “radical noticing” but I Googled it and discovered I’d been beaten to the punch by Dr. Leslie Carr in this blog post in relation to psychotherapy.)